Thursday 1 November 2012

Katrina Kaif Katrina Kaif (born Katrina Turcotte on 16 July 1984[2]) is a British Indian actress and former model who appears in Indian films, mainly in the Hindi film industry.[3][4] She has also appeared in Telugu and Malayalam films. Being a British citizen, she works in India on an employment visa.[1] Kaif made her acting debut in 2003 with Kaizad Gustad's box office bomb Boom. In 2007, she earned commercial success with Vipul Shah's Namastey London and later earned public recognition for playing leading roles in such male-centric films as Partner (2007), Race (2007) and Singh Is Kinng (2008). Kaif subsequently played more prominent roles in such films as New York (2009), Rajneeti (2010), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) and Ek Tha Tiger (2012) which was a huge success and the second highest-grossing Bollywood film.[5][6] Despite earning mixed reviews from critics for her acting prowess, Kaif has emerged as a commercially one of the most successful actress of Hindi cinema. Early years Kaif was born in Hong Kong,[7] to an Indian Kashmiri father,[8][9][10][11] Mohammed Kaif,[12][13] and an English mother, Susanna Turquotte,[14][15] who is a British citizen. Her parents divorced when she was very young. Kaif once stated, "My dad, unfortunately, and not out of choice, has had no influence on our upbringing, on our religious or social or moral bearings."[16] When she came to India, she changed her surname to that of her father's, Kaif, because it was Indian in origin.[9][17][18] Furthermore, Ayesha Shroff has maintained that the actress' original name is Katrina Turquotte.[17] Kaif has seven siblings; a brother and six sisters.[19] From Hong Kong, she and her family moved to China, then to Japan. From there she went to France when she was 8, and thereafter lived for a few months at a time in Switzerland, Poland, Germany, Belgium, and other European countries.[20] Then she moved with her family to Hawaii, and eventually to her mother's home country of England. Although it is often assumed that Kaif is from London, she lived there only for three years before finally moving to Mumbai.[20] Personal life Katrina Personal life including her relationships has been a great subject to the media. After years of speculations Katrina Kaif admitted in an 2011 interview for a magazine that she was in a serious relationship with actor Salman Khan for several years, which ended in 2010.[21] Religious views Kaif has been to various religious places in India,[22] including Hindu, Sikh and Islamic places of worship.[23] She has been seen worshipping at Siddhivinayak temple, Hindu temples in Haridwar, Shirdi, Amritsar's Golden temple and Ajmer Sharif dargah.[23][24][25] Career Modeling and early film career (1998–2004) Kaif began her modeling career at age fourteen; her first assignment 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.[26] Kaif's modeling work led to her discovery by London- based filmmaker Kaizad Gustad, who gave her a part in his film Boom (2003). The film, which starred Amitabh Bachchan and Gulshan Grover, failed to make an impact. She then moved to Mumbai and was offered a number of modeling assignments, but filmmakers were hesitant to cast Kaif due to her poor command of Hindi.[27][28] Breakthrough (2005–2006) In 2005, Kaif made a cameo in Ram Gopal Verma's drama Sarkar, as Abhishek Bachchan's girlfriend. The same year, she landed her first major role in David Dhawan's adaptation of Cactus Flower, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, where she was paired opposite Salman Khan. The film also featured Sushmita Sen, Arshad Warsi, Isha Koppikar and Sohail Khan in leading roles. Upon release, the film became a moderate success with Taran Adarsh, a prominent film critic, mentioning Kaif as a "complete revelation".[29] The following year, she was paired opposite Akshay Kumar for the first time (she subsequently appeared alongside Kumar in a number of successful films throughout her career) in Raj Kanwar's box-office flop Humko Deewana Kar Gaye. However, for her portrayal of Jia A. Yashvardhan, Adarsh wrote, "Taking giant strides as an actor, Katrina is, without doubt, the star of the show. It's her magnetic presence and dependable performance that you carry home once the show has ended." [30] The film has often been hailed as the major turnaround for the better in her career due to her performance. Initial success (2007–2009) Katrina Kaif at Book launch of Raajneeti - The Film & Beyond, 2012 In 2007, Kaif appeared in four films, all of which were successful at the box office. Her first release was Vipul Shah's romantic-comedy Namastey London. Kaif portrayed the character of a British Indian girl named Jasmeet "Jazz" Malhotra, alongside Rishi Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Clive Standen. Upon its release, the film became a major hit, with Nikhat Kazmi, of the The Times Of India praising the chemistry between the leading couple.[31] She next played a supporting role in Anil Sharma's melodrama Apne. Featuring Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Kirron Kher and Shilpa Shetty, the film was a box-office hit.[32] Her next release was David Dhawan's unofficial remake of Hitch, Partner, where she starred alongside Salman Khan, Govinda, and Lara Dutta. Her final film of 2007, Welcome, directed by Anees Bazmee and co-starring Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal and Anil Kapoor, was declared a blockbuster in India,[32] despite negative reviews from critics. Her first release of 2008 was Abbas-Mustan's action-thriller Race; she played Saif Ali Khan's secretary, Sophia, who is secretly in love with his hostile stepbrother (played by Akshay Khanna). The film also featured Anil Kapoor, Bipasha Basu and Sameera Reddy in leading roles. Despite its success, Kazmi wrote, "Katrina is too pale as the blousy secretary who comes into her own only when she gets seductive with a Touch me, kiss me tenor. " [33] Kaif was next seen in Anees Bazmee's action comedy Singh Is Kinng, portraying Akshay Kumar's love interest and Ranvir Shorey's fiancée. After its release, the film was declared a blockbuster, making it Kaif's sixth consecutive success at the box office. The movie also emerged as the third highest grossing film of 2008.[34] Kaif's final release of the year, Subhash Ghai's Yuvvraaj, was a commercial failure,[35] but its script made its way into the Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for artistic merit, original screenplay with a substance, and the film as a whole.[36][37] In 2009, she featured in Kabir Khan's terrorism drama New York, with John Abraham and Neil Nitin Mukesh. It was a critical and commercial success in both India and overseas.[38] Kaif's performance was highly praised: Taran Adarsh wrote, "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."[39] For her performance, Kaif received her first Filmfare nomination in the Best Actress category.[40] She next had a cameo in the star-studded action-thriller Blue, popularly known as India's first underwater thriller, with Akshay Kumar and Zayed Khan.[41] However, it was declared a flop. In November 2009, she appeared along with Ranbir Kapoor, in Rajkumar Santoshi's blockbuster comedy Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, as Jennifer Pinto. Critics mostly praised her fresh chemistry with Kapoor rather than her performance as a whole.[42] Her final release that year was Priyadarshan's star-studded De Dana Dan with Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal and Neha Dhupia. The film had a promising opening,[43] although dropped in collections throughout the following days. Despite this, the film was a moderate commercial success, receiving an "above average" status at the domestic box office by Box Office India.[44] Recent work (2010- present) Kaif's first release of 2010 was Prakash Jha's political thriller Raajneeti, where she appeared opposite Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Rampal. The film was a modern-day adaptation of The Mahabharata set against the political backdrop of Delhi. Nana Patekar, Manoj Bajpai and Shruti Seth also played starring roles. Upon release, the film performed extremely well at the box office, and earned Kaif favourable reviews for her portrayal of the dynamic Indu Sakseria.[45] A sequel of Rajneeti is expected to show Katrina Kaif as the queen sized politician.However Ranbir Kapoor would not be a part of the sequel.[46] Her final release that year was Farah Khan's brainless comedy Tees Maar Khan with Akshay Kumar.[47] Despite receiving unanimous negative reviews from critics and audiences alike, the film was a moderate success at the box office, receiving "Semi Hit" status by Box Office India.[48] However, Kaif's item number Sheila Ki Jawani became a major chartbuster.[49] Kaif (second from left) promoting ZNMD in Chandigarh with the cast of the film In 2011, she was seen alongside Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol and Kalki Koechlin in Zoya Akhtar's dramedy Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara,[50] which emerged as a major critical and commercial success. Kaif was praised for her portrayal of a fun-loving diving instructor Laila. Taran Adarsh wrote, "Katrina is a revelation...the actress continues to surprise you with her performances in film after film."[51] She next featured in Yash Raj Films' comedy Mere Brother Ki Dulhan opposite Imran Khan and Ali Zafar.[52] The film was successful at the box office, and earned Kaif positive notice for her portrayal of vivacious punk- rock girl Dimple Dixit, with Rahul Gangwani saying "the film ultimately belongs to Katrina Kaif. She sparkles, sizzles and infuses energy into the film."[53] Consequently, she received her second Filmfare nomination in the Best Actress category. Kaif's first release of 2012 was Kabir Khan's spy thriller Ek Tha Tiger opposite ex- boyfriend Salman Khan. The film opened on 15 August 2012, broke many record and was a huge success commercially. As of August 2012, Kaif is set to appear in two high-profile productions under the Yash Raj Films banner such as Jab Tak Hai Jaan alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma and Vijay Krishna Acharya's adventure film Dhoom 3 alongside Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Uday Chopra. Voice dubbing It should be noted that due to her poor knowledge of Hindi (and other Indian languages), Kaif's voice was often dubbed by dubbing artists such as Mona Ghosh Shetty.[54] However, with the exception of De Dana Dan she has used her own voice for all of her films since New York. Earlier, she had dubbed for films like Namastey London and Singh Is Kinng.[55] Brand endorsements In the year 2002, Katrina Kaif was chosen as Coca-Cola's brand ambassador in Tamil Nadu along with Tamil leading actor Vijay. The Coca-Cola advertisement was popular in Tamil Nadu, with Katrina Kaif and Vijay dancing to a Tamil song called "Gullu Gullu".[56] She has also worked for several skin products companies, particularly Veet, as well as several multi- national brands, such as Panasonic.[57] Katrina is now the brand ambassador of the national airline of the United Arab Emirates – Etihad Airways.[58] Filmography See also: List of awards and nominations received by Katrina Kaif Year Film Role 2003 Boom Rina Kaif/ Popdi Chinchpokli 2004 Malliswari Princess Malliswari 2005 Sarkar Pooja 2005 Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya Sonia 2005 Allari Pidugu Shwetha 2006 Hum Ko Deewana Kar Gaye Jia A. Yashvardha 2006 Balram vs. Taradas Supriya 2007 Namastey London Jasmeet "Jazz" Malhotra 2007 Apne Nandini Sarabhai 2007 Partner Priya Jaisingh 2007 Welcome Sanjana Shetty 2008 Race Sophia 2008 Singh Is Kinng Sonia Singh 2008 Hello Story-teller 2008 Yuvvraaj Anushka Banton 2009 New York Maya Shaik 2009 Blue Nikki 2009 Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani Jennifer "Jenny" Pinto 2009 De Dana Dan Anjali Kakkad 2010 Raajneeti Indu Sakseria/ Pratap 2010 Tees Maar Khan Anya Khan 2011 Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara Laila 2011 Bodyguard Herself 2011 Mere Brother Ki Dulhan Dimple Dixit 2012 Agneepath Chikni Chameli 2012 Ek Tha Tiger Zoya 2012 Main Krishna Hoon Radha 2012 Jab Tak Hai Jaan Meera 2013 Dhoom 3: Back in Action 2013 Knight and Day Remake See also Bollywood portal British Indian References 1. ^ a b "Working in Bollywood for years, but shy of citizenship?" . The Times of India. 30 Aug 2010. 2. ^ "Katrina changes birthday plans for Zoya's film" . NDTV – via – Indo-Asian News Service. 15 July 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2010. 3. ^ "UK-Indian actress lands role in Bollywood film 'Veer'" . The Indian Express. 28 April 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2010. 4. ^ Dhingra, Deepali (18 August 2009). "The Kat's out of the bag!" . The Times of India. Retrieved 18 September 2010. 5. ^ "Top Ten All Time Worldwide Grossers: EK THA TIGER 300 Crore Plus" . BOXOFFICEINDIA. Retrieved 13 September 2012. 6. ^ "Raajneeti : Complete Cast and Crew details" . Bollywoodhungama.com. 4 June 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010. 7. ^ "If I'm half Indian, so is Rahul Gandhi: Katrina Kaif – Page 2 – Times Of India" . Articles.timesofindia. indiatimes.com. 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2011-11-29. 8. ^ Waheed, Alia (Saturday 18 December 2010). "Katrina Kaif: How Bollywood fell in love with a British unknown" (in English). The Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2012. "Katrina Kaif, daughter of a British charity worker and a Kashmiri father, watched her first Indian film on television in her home in Finchley when she was a teenager." 9. ^ a b 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." 10. ^ 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." 11. ^ 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 ..." 12. ^ "Katrina misses her dad badly" (in English). OneIndia. Retrieved 22 July 2012. "Mohammed Kaif parted ways with Suzzane when Katrina was very young. So, is Katrina planning to get in touch with her dad now that she has become a big star? She said that her parents went their own ways due to personal issues. She added her father is very decent and affluent person." 13. ^ "Katrina Kaif" (in English). Live India. Retrieved 22 July 2012. "Father: Mohammad Kaif (Kashmiri) Mother: Suzanne Turquotte Kaif (British). 6 sisters and 1 brother Katrina Kaif, Alliza Kaif, Ayesha Kaif, Maria kaif, Habiba kaif, Anila Kaif, Alina Kaif and Eshal Kaif." 14. ^ "Katrina misses her dad badly" . Oneindia. Retrieved 2009-11-02. 15. ^ LiveIndia.com (1984-07-16). "Katrina Kaif Family and Friends" . Liveindia.com. Retrieved 2012-06-15. 16. ^ "I'm not dumb: Katrina – Page 2 – Times Of India" . Articles.timesofindia. indiatimes.com. 2010-12-26. Retrieved 2011-08-24. 17. ^ a b Super Admin (2009-08-19). "Actress Katrina Kaif | Katrina Turquotte | Ayesha Shroff | Real Mentor | Salman Khan" . Entertainment.oneindia.in. Retrieved 2011-11-08. "After remaining silent for years Ayesha has revealed some of Katrina's unknown secrets. Biggest of all Katrina Kaif's real name is Katrina Turquotte. Since the English surname was difficult to pronounce they changed it to Kaif after even thinking of naming her Katrina Kazi. Ayesha added that the name on Katrina's passport when she came to India was Katrina Turquotte. Katrina always maintained that her Kaif surname was due to her Kashmiri father but Ayesha did not give much weight to her claim." 18. ^ "My name’s Turquotte: Katrina" . Retrieved 2012-06-16. 19. ^ "Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | Film :: Tees Maar Khan: A British Bollywood Barbie!" . Express.co.uk. 2011-01-23. Retrieved 2011-08-24. 20. ^ a b "I'm not dumb: Katrina" . The Times of India – via – Indo-Asian News Service. 26 December 2010. Retrieved 31 January 2011. 21. ^ "Salman was my first serious relationship: Katrina Kaif" . 7 December 2011. 22. ^ "Katrina Kaif at Haridwar – FilmiTadka" . Filmitadka.in. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2012. 23. ^ a b "IndiaNews99 – Katrina Kaif's visit to Haridwar" . Indianews99.com. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2012. 24. ^ "Daily Bhaskar – Katrina's visit to Haridwar" . Daily.bhaskar.com. Retrieved 15 June 2012. 25. ^ "IndiaToday – Kat's spirituality – from Ajmer Sharif to Siddhivinayak" . Indiatoday.intoday.in. 12 November 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2012. 26. ^ Pathiyan, Priya (16 March 2003). "'I'm not involved with Salman Khan'" . Times of India. Retrieved 16 March 2003. 27. ^ Krishna, Kaavya. "Katrina Kaif Profile - Sify.com" . Sify. Retrieved 7 July 2009. 28. ^ "Katrina kaif new and promotion of 'Raajneeti' pics." . 29. ^ Adarsh, Taran. "Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya Review" . Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 16 May 2011. 30. ^ Adarsh, Taran. "Hum Ko Deewana Kar Gaye Review" . Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 16 May 2011. 31. ^ Kazmi, Nikhat (24 March 2007). "Namastey London Review" . The Times Of India. Retrieved 16 May 2011. 32. ^ a b "Box Office 2007" . BoxOffice India.com. 33. ^ Kazmi, Nikhat (21 March 2008). "Race Review" . The Times Of India. Retrieved 16 May 2011. 34. ^ Box Office India. "Top Earners 2008" . boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 10 July 2008. 35. ^ "Box Office 2008" . BoxOfficeIndia.com. 36. ^ "'Yuvvraaj' finds its way to the Oscar Library" . IndiaGlitz. Retrieved 23 December 2010. 37. ^ "Scripts Database | Margaret Herrick Library | Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences" . Scriptlist.oscars.org. Retrieved 23 December 2010. 38. ^ "Katrina Kaif" . timescontent.com. Retrieved 1 July 2009. 39. ^ Adarsh, Taran. "Bollywood Hungama Review: New York" . Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 26 June 2009. 40. ^ "Nominations for 55th Idea Filmfare Awards 2009" . Bollywoodhungama.com. 11 February 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010. 41. ^ IANS. "Gear up for India’s first underwater thriller in ‘Blue’" . Thaindian News. Retrieved 15 October 2009. 42. ^ Kazmi, Nikhat (5 November 2009). "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani Review" . The Times Of India. Retrieved 16 May 2011. 43. ^ "De Dana Dan Box Office" . indicine. 44. ^ "Boxofficeindia.com" . Boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 15 June 2012. 45. ^ "Raajneeti : Complete Cast and Crew details" . Bollywoodhungama.com. 4 June 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010. 46. ^ "Katrina Kaif is the hero in 'Rajneeti 2'" . 26 June 2012. 47. ^ "Makers of Tees Maar Khan build Jumbo Jet for Akki's deadly intro sequence" . Bollywoodhungama.com. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010. 48. ^ "Boxofficeindia.com" . Boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 15 June 2012. 49. ^ Adarsh, Taran. "Bollywood Hungama Review: Tees Maar Khan" . Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 16 May 2011. 50. ^ "Bollywood Hungama : Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" . Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 16 May 2011.

3 comments: