Beautiful Katrina Kaif is one of the most loved actresses of her time, known for her other worldly beauty, expert dancing, and graceful poise, with successful films like Raajneeti, New York, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Ek Tha Tiger, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Dhoom 3, Zero, and many more.
Early Life and Career
Katrina Kaif was born Katrina Turquotte on July 16, 1983, in Hong Kong. Her father, Mohammed Kaif, is a British businessman of Kashmiri descent. Her mother, Suzanne Turquotte, is an English lawyer and charity worker. She has seven siblings: an older brother, Sebastien, three older sisters (Stephanie, Christine, Natasha), and three younger sisters (Melissa, Sonia, Isabel). Her parents separated when she was young, and her father moved to the United States. Katrina grew up with her mother, moving across countries like Japan, France, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, and Hawaii, before settling in London for three years.
Katrina received homeschooling from tutors due to her family’s frequent relocations. She pursued correspondence courses later but left formal education during college to focus on modeling. Katrina began modeling at 14, winning a beauty contest in Hawaii and landing a jewelry campaign. She worked professionally in London, appearing at London Fashion Week.
Katrina Kaif In Films
Filmmaker Kaizad Gustad spotted Katrina at a London show and cast her in Boom (2003), her Bollywood debut. The film, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Gulshan Grover, Jackie Shroff, Madhu Sapre and Padma Lakshmi, was a boxoffice bomb. But Katrina stayed in India, as she get busy in modelling here. The following year, she starred opposite Venkatesh in her first Telugu film, Malliswari (2004). Her breakthrough came with Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? (2005), with Salman and Sushmita Sen. marking her entry into mainstream Bollywood.
In 2005, she acted in films like Ram Gopal Verma’s “Sarkar,” opposite Abhishek Bachchan. Despite her limitted acting abilty and language problems, her natural charm and beauty paved the way for a successful career.
Despite initial challenges, Katrina’s determination paid off, and she found success
Namastey London (2007). the film directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, pairs her with Akshay Kumar as a British-Indian girl. It was the start of her collaboration with Akshay Kumar. The duo starred in many memorable films like “Humko Deewana Kar Gaye (2007),” “Welcome (2007),” and “De Dana Dan (2009).”
The Growth
Katrina then acted in David Dhavan’s comedy “Partner (2007),” alongwith Salman Khan and Govinda. He role in Abbas Mastan’s thriller “Race (2008),” with Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Khanna was also praised. In 2009, she was paired with Ranbir Kapoor in Rajkumar Santoshi’s “Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009).”
Intially, Katrina was only known for her beauty, but slowly she started learning the ropes of acting. She learned to speak Hindi and started dubbing for her films. She garnered widespread praise for her role in Kabir Khan’s “New York (2009).” The film explores the impact of 9/11 on Indian students in the U.S. The plot follows lives of three students Maya (Katrina), Samir (John Abraham) and Omar (Neil Nitin Mukesh), unraveling under FBI scrutiny.
Directed by Prakash Jha, Raajneeti (2010) draws inspiration from the Mahabharata and Indian politics. Katrina portrays Indu Sakseria, a politician’s daughter who marries Samar (Ranbir Kapoor). The story tracks a family’s power struggle. Her role, though secondary, shows ambition and grace.
In 2001, she acted in Zoya Akhtar’s road-trip drama Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara with Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and uday Chopra. The plot follows three friends confronting life during a Spanish adventure. Katrina plays Laila, a diving instructor who romances Arjun (Hrithik Roshan). Her restrained performance was praised widely. The same year she impressed in Ali Abbas Zafar’s romantic comedy Mere Brother Ki Dulhan Katrina stars as Dimple Dixit, a lively girl pursued by Kush (Imran Khan) for his brother Luv (Ali Zafar). With these films, she proved that she is not just a lovely face and can put effort into her performances.
Katrina Kaif The Top Star
Katrina followed her success with several blockbusters, including Yash Chopra’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012), with Sahrukh Khan, Kabir Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger (2012), with Salman Khan, Vijay Krishna Acharya’s Dhoom 3 (2013), with Amir Khan and Siddharth Anand’s Bang Bang! (2014) with Hritik Roshan. Her impeccable dancing skills and action roles have also garnered her praise.
Directed by Anurag Basu, Jagga Jasoos (2017) is a musical detective story. Katrina plays Shruti, a journalist aiding Jagga (Ranbir Kapoor) to find his father. The plot uses musical sequences to narrate their journey. The film, a nobel experiment, disappointed at the box office. The film suffers by a loose editting and too many musical pieces which halts the pace. Despite the shortcomings, the film was one of the most beautifully shot film in recent time.
Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Bharat adapts a South Korean film Ode to My Father (2014), covering a man’s life from 1947 to 2010. Katrina plays Kumud Raina, Salman Khan’s love interest and later wife.
Directed by Sriram Raghavan, Merry Christmas (2024), is a neo-noir thriller. Katrina portrays Maria, a mysterious woman entangled with Albert (Vijay Sethupathi) on Christmas Eve. The plot unfolds a murder mystery with twists. Some of her other notable films include Ali Abbas Zafar’s Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), Anand L. Rai‘s Zero (2018), Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi (2021), and Manish Sharma’s Tiger 3 (2023).
Katrina is a beauty with a brain; she always surprises viewers with her deep understanding of human nature, deep humour, and philosophical thoughts. The superficial “Bollywood Gentry” frequently misunderstands her comments, a fact evident in her interactions.
Later Years
In addition to her acting career, Katrina launched her cosmetic line, Kay Beauty, in 2019. Katrina enjoys playing chess, painting, and reading. She is also known for her love of fitness, and she often shares her workout routines on social media.
In December 2021, Katrina married actor Vicky Kaushal in a private ceremony at Six Senses Fort Barwara in Rajasthan. Katrina is actively involved in charity work through her mother’s organisation, Relief Projects India, which focuses on helping underprivileged children. She has also participated in various fundraising events and campaigns to support different causes.
Katrina Kaif on IMDB
