Early life
Kaif was born in Hong Kong[5] to an Indian Kashmiri father,[6][7][8] Mohammed Kaif, and an English mother, Suzanne Turquotte,[9] both of whom are British citizens. Her parents divorced when she was very young. Kaif has seven siblings. She was raised in Hawaii and later moved to her mother's home country, England.
CareerKaif began her modeling career at the age fourteen; her first job was for a jewelry campaign. She continued modeling in London under a contract with the Models 1 Agency and did campaigns for houses such as La Senza and Arcadius, and even walked on the London Fashion Week.[5]
Kaif's London modeling-work led to her discovery by London-based filmmaker Kaizad Gustad, who gave her a part in his film Boom (2003). She moved to Mumbai and was offered a number of modeling assignments. However, filmmakers were initially hesitant to sign her because she could not speak Hindi.[10][11]
Kaif saw moderate success with the 2005 film Sarkar, where she played the bit part of Abhishek Bachchan's girlfriend, and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2005), where she was paired opposite Salman Khan.
In 2007, Kaif appeared in her first major hit movie, Namastey London, wherein she starred as a British Indian girl alongside Akshay Kumar for the second time after the box office letdown Humko Deewana Kar Gaye (2006). Her run of hit films continued with Apne, Partner, and Welcome.[12]
In 2008, she played the villain role for the first time in Abbas-Mustan's hit action thriller Race. She played the role of Saif Ali Khan's secretary who is secretly in love with his hostile stepbrother (played by Akshay Khanna). Kaif's second release of the year was Anees Bazmee's production Singh Is Kinng, opposite Akshay Kumar. The film was a big success at the box office. Kaif's final release of the year, Subhash Ghai's Yuvvraaj, was a commercial failure,[13] but its script has made its way into the Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for artistic merits, original screenplay with a substance, and the film as a whole.[14][15]
Kaif's first release for 2009, New York, with John Abraham, was a critical and commercial success.[16] Kaif's performance was highly regarded. Wrote critic Taran Adarsh, "Katrina gives you the biggest surprise. Known for her glamour roles, Katrina proves that she can deliver if the director and writer offer her a role of substance. She's outstanding. In fact, people will see a new, different Katrina this time."[17]She next played a bit role as a biker chick in the multi-starrer action film Blue, popularly known as India's first underwater thriller,[18] which performed decently at the box office.[19] The film was not successful.
At the year's end, she appeared in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, with Ranbir Kapoor, and De Dana Dan with Akshay Kumar. Both films were commercial successes.
Kaif's first film of 2010 was Raajneeti, where she appeared opposite Ranbir Kapoor. The film did extremely well at the box office, receiving a blockbuster status.[20] She is currently filming Farah Khan's Tees Maar Khan with Akshay Kumar. The film is set to be released on 24 December 2010.[21]
Voice
It should be noted that due to her poor knowledge of Hindi (and other Indian languages), Katrina Kaif's voice has often been dubbed over by another actress for many of her early films. With the exception of De Dana Dan, all her films since New York feature her real voice. Earlier films in which her real voice is also heard are Singh Is Kinng, Namastey London and Boom. However in the films that feature her real voice mostly English is spoken and not much Hindi is spoken
Awards
Nominated
2005: Zee Cine Award for Most Promising Debut, Sarkar
2008: IIFA Award for Best Actress, Race
2009: Apsara Award for Best Actress In Supporting Role, Race
2009: IIFA Award for Best Actress, Singh Is Kinng
2009: Stardust Award for Star Of The Year, Singh Is Kinng
2009: Stardust Award for Best Actress In A Negative Role, Race
2010: Screen Award for Best Actor In Popular Category, New York
2010: Stardust Star of the Year Award – Female for New York & Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani [3]
2010: Filmfare Best Actress Award for New York[22]
Winner
2006: Stardust Breakthrough Performance Award (Female), Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya
2006: Idea Zee F Awards, Fashion Diva of the Year [4]
2008: Zee Cine Awards, British Indian Actor Award
2008: IIFA Awards, Style Diva of the Year
2008: Sabsey Favourite Kaun Awards, Sabsey Favourite Heroine, Singh Is Kinng
2008: Apsara Film Producers Guild of India Awards, Style Diva of the Year
2009: Rajiv Gandhi Award[23]
2009: Golden Kela Awards, Dara Singh Award for the Worst Accent
2009: Sabsey Favourite Kaun Awards, Sabsey Favourite Heroine [5]
2009: ASSOCHAM Award, Performing Excellence [6]
2010: Star Screen Awards, Entertainer of the year [7]
2010: Stardust Awards, Best Actress - Popular Award for New York & Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani [8]
Filmography
Year Film Role Notes
2003 Boom Rina Kaif/Popdi Chinchpokli
2004 Malliswari Princess Malliswari Telugu film
2005 Sarkar Pooja
Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya Sonia
Allari Pidugu Shwetha Telugu film
2006 Hum Ko Deewana Kar Gaye Jia A. Yashvardhan
Balram vs. Taradas Supriya Malayalam film
2007 Namastey London Jasmeet Malhotra (Jazz)
Apne Nandini
Partner Priya Jaisingh
Welcome Sanjana Shetty
2008 Race Sophia
Singh Is Kinng Sonia
Hello The Storyteller/God Cameo
Yuvvraaj Anushka Banton
2009 New York Maya Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award
Blue Nikki Cameo
Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani Jennifer (Jenny)
De Dana Dan Anjali Kakkad
2010 Raajneeti Indu Pratap[24]
Tees Maar Khan Anya Filming[25]
2011 Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan Filming
Dostana 2 Pre-Production
References
^ "Katrina changes birthday plans for Zoya's film". NDTV - via - Indo-Asian News Service. July 15, 2010. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
^ "UK-Indian actress lands role in Bollywood film 'Veer'". The Indian Express. 28 April 2009. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
^ Dhingra, Deepali (18 August 2009). "The Kat's out of the bag!". The Times of India. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
^ "Katrina Kaif voted 'Sexiest Woman in the World' again". Eastern Eye. India Today. Retrieved 2010-12-12.
^ a b Pathiyan, Priya (2003-03-16). "'I'm not involved with Salman Khan'". Times of India. Retrieved 2003-03-16.
^ Cine blitz, Volume 29, Issue 2. Blitz Publications. Retrieved 2007–03–25. "Katrina Kaif is my real name. Kaif is my father's surname, he is Kashmiri," she bristled. "When I joined films I decided to take his surname, since I felt people would be able to associate better with an Indian surname."
^ Parvéz Dewân's Jammû, Kashmîr, and Ladâkh: Kashmîr. Manas Publications. Retrieved 2007–03–25. "Today if a person has even a drop of Kashmiri blood in his veins he proclaims it proudly. From novelist Salman Rushdie to writer MJ Akbar and actress-fashion model Katrina Kaif, people everywhere are celebrating their Kashmiri roots."
^ India today, Volume 27. Thomson Living Media India Ltd.. Retrieved 2007–03–25. "Half-Kashmiri. half-Brit. Kaif is one of three leading ladies (besides Madhu Sapre and Salman Rushdie's muse Padma ..."
^ "Katrina misses her dad badly". Oneindia. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
^ Krishna, Kaavya. "Katrina Kaif Profile - Sify.com". Sify. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
^ "Katrina kaif new and promotion of 'Raajneeti' pics.".
^ "Box Office 2007". BoxOffice India.com.
^ "Box Office 2008". BoxOfficeIndia.com.
^ http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/44967.html
^ [1]
^ "Katrina Kaif". timescontent.com. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
^ Adarsh, Taran. "Bollywood Hungama Review: New York". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
^ IANS. "Gear up for India’s first underwater thriller in ‘Blue’". Thaindian News. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
^ "Blue Has Good First Week All The Best Steady". Boxofficeindia.Com. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
^ http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/cast/13904/index.html
^ http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/2010/02/15/13771/index.html
^ [2]
^ "Shahid Kapoor, Katrina Kaif among Rajiv Gandhi Awards winners". New Kerala. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
^ http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/previews/2010/raajneeti-movie-preview-050310.html Retrieved 05 Mar. 2010
^ Iyer, Meena (2010-04-20). - Bollywood§id=30&contentid=2010042020100420185041487b81ca0bd "No competition with Bebo: Kat". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
