Kaif was born in
Hong Kong on 16 July 1984,
[1] to a
Kashmiri father (who acquired
British citizenship) and a British mother. Kaif has eight siblings; seven sisters and one brother. At age 14 she was approached by an agent and began modeling; her first job was for a jewelry campaign. She continued modeling in
London.
Career
Kaif's London model work led to her discovery by 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 at first hesitant to sign her because of her linguistic shortcomings.
[2] Katrina saw success with the 2005 film
Sarkar where she played the brief role of
Abhishek Bachchan's love interest. Her next release,
Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2006), where she was paired opposite
Salman Khan, earned her an award at the
Stardust Award for breakthrough female performance. In 2007 Katrina appeared in the hit movie
Namastey London, wherein she starred as a British Indian alongside
Akshay Kumar for the second time after the box office dud
Humko Deewana Kar Gaye. She then worked on a series of box office hits that include
Apne,
Partner and
Welcome. 2008 saw her play a negative role for the first time in
Abbas-Mustan's super hit action thriller
Race. She played the role of
Saif Ali Khan's secretary who is secretly in love with him. She appeared next in
Anees Bazmee's box office blockbuster
Singh Is Kinng alongside Akshay Kumar for the fourth time. Kaif's final release of the year,
Subhash Ghai's
Yuvvraaj, was a surprise disaster at the box office.
Awards
Filmography
