Introduction

Katrina Kaif won her first beauty contest in Hawaii when she was 14 years old. Although her first appearance was in the year 2003 in Bollywood’s erotic heist film Boom, which bombed at the box office, she has continuously won FHM’s12 ‘World’s Sexiest Woman’ award from 2008 to 2013, making her beauty remain unchallenged since the age of 24. We all know Kat for her scintillating item numbers like Chikni Chameli and Kamli and of course, she is one of Bollywood’s highest paid actresses.

Early Life

Her father is Mohammed Kaif a person of Kashmiri descent and mother Susanna Turquotte (also spelt as Turcotte), a British citizen. Some claim she was born in 1983 while other sources say it was 1984. According to Katrina, her father is an English lawyer and charity worker who divorced her mother when Katrina was young and moved on to America. About her father she says that "unfortunately, and not out of choice, has had no influence on [their] upbringing [and] on [their] religious or social or moral bearings." She and her siblings were home schooled by their mother who she says did a “wonderful job." However, she is not in touch with father. Her mother being a dedicated social worker, their family moved from Hong Kong to China, Japan, France, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium and finally to Hawaii. After spending three years in her mother’s homeland England, she relocated to India on employment visa on her British passport. Here, she changed her surname to that of her father’s claiming it would be easier to pronounce.

Career

• Modelling and film debut.

At the age of fourteen, Kaif won a beauty contest in Hawaii, and received her first modelling assignment in a jewellery campaign. She subsequently modelled professionally in London, working for freelance agencies and appearing regularly at London Fashion Week. 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. While filming in India, Kaif received other offers and decided to stay in the country. In 2003, she received notice as a model after walking the ramp for Rohit Bal at the India Fashion Week and appeared in the first Kingfisher Calendar. Kaif soon established a successful modelling career in India after endorsing brands such as Coca-Cola, LG, Fevicol and Samsung.

Kaif's career as a model led to anticipation surrounding her Bollywood debut. Boom (2003) had its first screening at the Cannes Film Festival, and was heavily promoted at the event. Boom was a commercial and critical failure. 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". Hindustan Times reported that after Boom‍ '​s release, Kaif was written off due to her poor Hindi and thick British accent. 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". Although Kaif was offered a number of modelling assignments, filmmakers were hesitant to cast her because of her poor command of Hindi. In one instance, Mahesh Bhatt replaced her with Tara Sharma in Saaya (2003) as he found her an "inconsistent performer". Subsequently, Kaif began working on her diction through Hindi classes.

• Early film work.

A woman is smiling away from the camera.

Kaif at the 2006 IIFA Awards

After the failure of her first Bollywood project, Kaif appeared in the Telugu film Malliswari (2004). With Daggubati Venkatesh, she played the title role of a princess forced to flee from her murderous caretaker. Kaif received a reported ₹7.5 million (US$110,000) for the film, the highest salary for a South Indian film actress at the time. Despite negative reviews for her acting, Malliswari was a profitable venture.

The following year, Kaif appeared briefly as Abhishek Bachchan's girlfriend in Ram Gopal Varma's political thriller Sarkar. 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". Directed by David Dhawan, the film was a successful remake of the romantic comedy Cactus Flower. For her role as a suicidal model, Kaif received the Stardust Award for Breakthrough Performance – Female. According to Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com, "Katrina's Disney princess-like charm adds to her adorable screen presence". Kaif followed with a small part in her second Telugu film, Allari Pidugu.

In 2006, she appeared with Akshay Kumar for the first of many films in Raj Kanwar's unsuccessful Humko Deewana Kar Gaye, 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. Kaif also appeared with Mammootty in the Malayalam crime thriller Balram vs. Tharadas, in which Rishi Raj Singh of The Hindu called her performance "marvellous".

Awards

• BIG Star Entertainment:

Most Entertaining Actor in a Romantic Film - Female - Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)

Best On-Screen Jodi (shared with Shah Rukh Khan) - Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)

• International Indian Film Academy

Style Diva of the Year - Namastey London (2008)

• Screen Awards

Entertainer of the Year - New York (2010)

Best Actress (Popular Choice) - Raajneeti & Tees Maar Khan (2011)

Best Actress (Popular Choice) - Ek Tha Tiger & Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2013)

• Star Guild Awards

Style Icon of the Year - Race (2009)

Hindustan Times Reader's Choice Entertainer Of The Year Award - Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011)

• Stardust Awards

Breakthrough Performance – Female - Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? (2006)

Best Actress - Popular - New York & Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2010)

Best Actress in a Comedy or Romance - Tees Maar Khan (2011)

• Zee Cine Awards

British Indian Actor Award - Raajneeti (2011)

International Icon Female Award - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2012)

Recognition

• Voted the Sexiest Asian woman in the World by Eastern Eye in the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

• Named "India's Most Beautiful Woman" by the Indian edition of People magazine.

• First and only woman to win World’s Sexiest Woman from FHM India five times!