Katrina Kaif (pronounced [kəˈʈriːna kɛːf]; born Katrina Turquotte; 16 July 1983) is an English actress who works primarily in Hindi-language films.[1] She has established herself in Hindi cinema and is one of India's highest-paid actresses.[2][3]
Born in Hong Kong, Kaif lived in several countries before she moved to London. She received her first modelling assignment as a teenager and later pursued a career as a fashion model. At a fashion show in London, Indian filmmaker Kaizad Gustad decided to cast her in Boom (2003), a critical and commercial failure. While in India, Kaif received modelling assignments and established a successful modelling career, however, filmmakers were hesitant to cast her due to her poor command of Hindi. After appearing in the Telugu film Malliswari (2004), Kaif earned commercial success in Bollywood with the romantic comedies Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? (2005) and Namastey London (2007). She followed with a series of box-office hits, but was criticised for her acting, repetitive roles, and inclination to male-dominated films.
Her performance in the thriller New York (2009) earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, and after starring roles in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009), Raajneeti (2010), and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), she received her second nomination for her performance in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011). Kaif's highest-grossing films came with the action thrillers Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Dhoom 3 (2013), and Bang Bang! (2014), all of which rank among the highest-grossing Indian films. She followed this with a series of films which did not perform well commercially, with the exception of the action sequel Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) and the drama Bharat (2019), but received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of an alcoholic actress in the romantic drama Zero (2018).
Early life and background
Katrina Kaif was born in Hong Kong with her mother's surname Turquotte (also spelt Turcotte), on 16 July 1983.[a][8][9][10] According to the actress, her father (Mohammed Kaif) is a British businessman of Kashmiri descent and her mother (Suzanne, also spelt Susanna) is an English lawyer and charity worker.[11][12][13] She has seven siblings: three elder sisters (Stephanie, Christine, and Natasha), three younger sisters (Melissa, Sonia, and Isabel) and an elder brother, Michael.[11][13] Isabelle Kaif is also a model and actress.[14] Kaif's parents divorced when she was a child, and her father moved to the United States. She said her father had no influence on Kaif or her siblings while they were growing up, and they were raised by their mother.[8][13][15] On her father's absence in her life, Kaif stated: "When I see friends who have wonderful fathers who are like pillars of support for their families, I say, if only I had that. But instead of complaining, I should be grateful for all the other things I have". In a 2009 interview with The Indian Express, she said she was not in touch with her father.[13] Kaif says that her mother decided to "dedicate her life to social causes", which led to the family's relocation to a number of countries for varying lengths of time:
Our transitions in growing up were—from Hong Kong where I was born, to China, then to Japan, and from Japan by boat to France ... After France, Switzerland—and I'm cutting out many East European countries where we were for only a few months each—then Poland in Kraków ... After that we went to Belgium, then to Hawaii, which was a short time, and then came to London.[15]
Career
Modelling and early film work
At the age of fourteen, Kaif won a beauty contest in Hawaii, and received her first modelling assignment in a jewellery campaign.[18] She subsequently modelled professionally in London, working for freelance agencies and appearing regularly at London Fashion Week.[8] At a fashion show Kaif attracted the attention of London-based filmmaker Kaizad Gustad. He selected her for a role in the English-Hindi erotic heist film Boom as part of an ensemble cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Gulshan Grover, Jackie Shroff, Madhu Sapre and Padma Lakshmi.[19][20] While filming in India, Kaif received other offers and decided to stay in the country.[21] In 2003, she received notice as a model after walking the ramp for Rohit Bal at the India Fashion Week[22] and appeared in the first Kingfisher Calendar.[23] Kaif soon established a successful modelling career in India after endorsing brands such as Coca-Cola, LG, Fevicol and Samsung.[24]
Kaif's career as a model led to anticipation surrounding her Bollywood debut.[20] Boom (2003) had its first screening at the Cannes Film Festival, and was heavily promoted at the event.[25][26] Boom was a commercial and critical failure.[27][28] Kaif's enactment of a supermodel ensnared in the Mumbai underworld was poorly received, with Ziya U. Salam of The Hindu attributing the weak performances of the film's leading ladies to "the vacuity of their expressions".[29] Hindustan Times reported that after Boom's release, Kaif was written off due to her poor Hindi and thick British accent.[30] She later dismissed the film: "I don't count Boom among important happenings in my life. When I signed this film, I didn't know much about India and its film audience".[31] Although Kaif was offered a number of modelling assignments,[31] filmmakers were hesitant to cast her because of her poor command of Hindi.[32] In one instance, Mahesh Bhatt replaced her with Tara Sharma in Saaya (2003) as he found her an "inconsistent performer".[33] Subsequently, Kaif began working on her diction through Hindi classes.[31]
Breakthrough (2005–2008)
In 2005, Kaif appeared briefly as Abhishek Bachchan's girlfriend in Ram Gopal Varma's political thriller Sarkar.[36] She next featured alongside Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen and Sohail Khan in Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?, a film she considered her "first real step into Bollywood".[37] Directed by David Dhawan, the film was a successful remake of the romantic comedy Cactus Flower.[38][39] For her role as a suicidal model, Kaif received the Stardust Award for Breakthrough Performance – Female.[40] According to Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com, "Katrina's Disney princess-like charm adds to her adorable screen presence".[41] Kaif followed with a small part in her second Telugu film, Allari Pidugu.[42]
In 2006, she appeared with Akshay Kumar for the first of many films in Raj Kanwar's unsuccessful Humko Deewana Kar Gaye,[43] a story of two like-minded strangers who fall in love despite being engaged to others. Sify wrote that Kaif was "passably competent in a tailor-made role, giving a mild emotional spin to a couple of scenes" but was overshadowed by her supporting actresses.[44] Kaif also appeared with Mammootty in the Malayalam crime thriller Balram vs. Tharadas,[45] in which Rishi Raj Singh of The Hindu called her performance "marvellous".[46]
Kaif's career prospects changed in 2007, when she appeared in four Bollywood hits.[47] In an interview with The Indian Express, she called Vipul Amrutlal Shah's romantic comedy Namastey London a milestone, saying that "for the first time, [she] had a dominating role".[13] Kaif used her life in London as a reference for her role as a spoilt British Indian girl intent on marrying her self-centred British boyfriend, despite her parents' disapproval.[48] Although critics expressed mixed views on the film,[49] Sukanya Verma wrote that Kaif "suits the role to the T" and "brings the zingy mix of her character alive with style and substance".[50] Kaif's chemistry with co-star Akshay Kumar was particularly well received, with Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India calling their casting "refreshing".[51] Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama mentioned "Katrina is a revelation. The actor surprised you with a confident performance in Humko Deewana Kar Gaye and now, in Namaste London, she comes up with a spirited performance yet again. She handles the complex part with remarkable ease."[52]