Katrina Kaif, real name Katrina Turquotte (born 16 July 1984), is a British-Indian actress and a former model who appears in Bollywood films. She has also appeared in regional Indian films.
Kaif made her acting debut in 2003 with Kaizad Gustad's Boom, which bombed at the box office. Later, Kaif made appearances in moderately successful films such as Sarkar (2005) and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2005), which helped boost her image in the industry. In 2006, Kaif was largely appreciated for her role as Jia A. Yashvardhan from the film Humko Deewana Kar Gaye, but the film didn't do very well.
It was only in 2007, when Kaif appeared in Vipul Shah's Namastey London, that she started gaining critical acclaim. This was followed with such films as Partner (2007), Welcome (2007),Race (2008), Singh Is Kinng (2008) and New York (2009). Because of her British heritage, she has been seen playing the role of a Non-Resident Indian rather well in several films.
She has since appeared in critically and commercially successful films like Prakash Jha's political thriller Rajneeti (2010) and Zoya Akhtar's dramedy Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011). She took Hindi classes to hone her character in Rajneeti to perfection, which promoted her image as a professional and hard-working actor. In 2010, she was nominated for her first Filmfare Best Actress Award for her portrayal of Maya, a loving wife and friend in New York.
In addition to lead roles, Kaif has also garnered recognition for her item numbers such as "Zara Zara Touch Me" from Race (2008), "Sheila Ki Jawaani" from Tees Maar Khan (2010) and "Chikni Chameli" from Agneepath (2012). Having done so, Kaif has thus established herself as a leading contemporary actress of Bollywood.
