Katrina Kaif is one of Hindi cinema's more popular and successful stars in the 21st century. A household name in India today, the model and actress was born in Hong Kong as Katrina Turquotte on 16 July 1983. Her mother Suzanne, a lawyer and social worker, travelled frequently and the family lived in various parts of Southeast Asia and Europe before eventually settling in London. While in London, Katrina Kaif was spotted by maverick filmmaker Kaizad Gustad, who cast her in his controversial erotic heist film Boom (2003). Katrina Kaif’s performance as a top model involved with the Mumbai underworld was not well received, with her strong British accent hindering her performance.

Discomfort with Hindi has continued to plague Katrina Kaif, more so in the early part of her career. Her voice was dubbed in her first few films, including Sarkar (2005) and Hum Ko Deewana Kar Gaye (2006), by voice-dubbing artiste Mona Ghosh Shetty.

Despite this, Katrina Kaif persisted with her pursuit of an acting career in Hindi cinema, even signing up for lessons in Hindi. Even as she was struggling with her Hindi, Katrina Kaif appeared in several Telugu and Malayalam films, including Malleswari (2004) opposite Venkatesh, which made her the highest paid actress in a South Indian film, and Balram Vs Tharadas (2006) opposite the legendary Malayalam actor Mammootty.

The year 2007 marked a turning point in Kaif’s career as she recorded four consecutive hits and became one of the more sought after actresses in the industry. Vipul Shah’s Namastey London (2007) gave her a substantial role as the female lead and marked her first big commercial success. She played the role of Jasmeet, a British Indian girl, and her comfort and understanding of the character was reflected in her refreshing
performance.

Other hits that year included the blockbusters Partner (2007) with Salman Khan and Govinda, Welcome (2007) and Apne (2007). Following the success of that year, Katrina Kaif began to be regularly seen in ensemble casts in major commercial films like Race (2008) and Singh Is Kinng (2008). However, critics noted that her roles were far from challenging and that she wasn’t really asserting herself as an actress.

She was only able to mute her critics somewhat when she took on the role of Maya, a college student who unknowingly marries a terrorist in Kabir Khan’s acclaimed film, New York (2009). The challenging role brought her recognition as an actress and earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress award.

In 2011, Katrina Kaif put in a fine performance in Zoya Akhtar’s superhit Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, fitting into Layla’s character with natural, unaffected ease. Her sexy bike ride and smouldering kiss on the roadside with Hrithik Roshan was one of the highlights of the film.

That same year, Katrina Kaif's popularity rose to new heights as she showcased her talents as a sexy dancer in the popular number ‘Sheila Ki Jawani’ in the Farah Khan dud Tees Maar Khan (2011).

Despite the question mark on her acting ability, Katrina Kaif has been part of some of the top-grossing films in recent times, from Ek Tha Tiger (2012) to Dhoom 3 (2013). Her status as one of the more popular and successful stars in the industry is undisputable. Besides acting on the silver screen, she has been the face of brands like L’Oreal, Lakme, Pantene, and Samsung. Her ad campaign for the soft drink Slice was one of the most erotic on Indian television.