Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif is a British film actress and model. She is primarily known for her work in Bollywood films, though has also appeared in Telugu and Malayalam films. She has achieved popularity due to her physical beauty, and for being one of India's highest-paid actresses.
After a successful modelling career, Kaif made her acting debut in 2003, with a role inKaizad Gustad's box office bomb Boom, after which she was initially written off. She consequently appeared in a Telugu film—the hit romantic comedy Malliswari. Kaif later earned commercial success in Bollywood with the romantic comedies Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? and Namastey London. She followed it with glamorous roles in a series of box office hits, though she was criticised for having little to do in male-centric films like Partner(2007), Welcome (2007) and Singh Is Kinng (2008).
The 2009 terrorism drama New York marked a turning point in her career, earning her praise as well as a Filmfare Best Actress nomination. She subsequently featured in more prominent roles in films like Raajneeti (2010), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011) and Ek Tha Tiger (2012, the third highest-grossing Bollywood film). Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics for her acting prowess, she has established herself as a commercially successful actress of Hindi cinema.[2]
Kaif with Akshay Kumar on the sets ofWelcome, 2007
She next appeared in a supporting role for the Anil Sharma-directed melodramatic sports film Apne, that featured Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Kirron Kher and Shilpa Shetty in prominent roles. After Apne, she reunited with director David Dhawan for the comedy Partner (the unofficial remake of Hitch), where she starred alongside Salman Khan, Govinda and Lara Dutta. With a worldwide revenue of 1.03 billion (US$16 million), the film emerged a blockbuster,[50] despite a mixed critical reception.[51] Kaif's final release of the year was Anees Bazmee's multistarrer comedy Welcome, in which she was cast alongside Akshay Kumar, Nana Patekar, Mallika Sherawat and Anil Kapoor. The film received mixed reviews,[52] though became Kaif's second consecutive blockbuster, with worldwide earnings of 1.16 billion (US$18 million).[50][53] Despite these films doing well at the box office, Kaif's roles were overlooked as the general perception from critics was that the films did not allow "much for the women to do" and that Kaif was "nothing more than [a] glamourous prop" in her appearances.[51][52][54]
The following year, Kaif collaborated with Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Anil Kapoor and Sameera Reddy for Abbas-Mustan's action thriller Race. The film follows the story of two stepbrothers-turned-rivals who are in contention of their father's insurance payment. Kaif enacted the role of Ranveer's (Khan) double-crossing secretary and his stepbrother's (Khanna) lover. Race continued Kaif's slew of successes, though Kazmi noted that "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."[55] She was more appreciative of the film, praising its "super cool look [and] testosterone-high action sequences."[56] Kaif was next seen in Anees Bazmee's action comedy Singh Is Kinng, as Akshay Kumar's love interest and Ranvir Shorey's fiancĂ©e. With worldwide earnings of 1.25 billion (US$19 million), the film was declared a super hit—making it Kaif's sixth consecutive success at the box office.[31][50][55] Kaif earned mixed reviews for her performance; in a particularly scathing review, Rajeev Masand commented that "Katrina Kaif is an eyesore [...] her acting so weak you want to urge her to watch everyone from Madhubala to Madhuri so she might pick up a few tricks."[57]
Kaif's final release of the year, the Subhash Ghai-directed drama Yuvvraaj, was a major failure at the box office.[55] The film narrates the story of three estranged brothers—Deven (Salman Khan), Danny (Zayed Khan) and Gyanesh (Anil Kapoor), and the attempts of the former two into scamming money from their mentally ill brother. To prepare for her role as a cello player, Kaif practised playing the instrument alongside orchestra members.[58] Her portrayal of a girl forbidden by her father from marrying her poor lover, received generally positive reviews; Sonia Chopra of Sify opined that "Katrina is wonderful, plays the cello convincingly, and looks ethereal."[59]Despite the film receiving mixed reviews as a whole, its script was added to the library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences due to its artistic merit.[60][61]
During this period, Kaif's voice was often dubbed by dubbing artists such as Mona Ghosh Shetty, since she was inarticulate in Hindi and other Indian languages.[62] Whilst Kaif was a part of a string of successful movies at this stage, film critics observed that she had little to do as her films were generally male-centric.[31][63] She also received mostly negative reviews for her acting prowess.[64][65] On her series of glamorous roles, Kaif reflected that her "first few films were really a process of learning [...] [t]here was no target."[11]
Kaif with Prakash Jha (left) and Ranbir Kapoor at the press conference for Raajneeti, 2010
After a string of films in which she was cast merely for her glamour quotient, Kaif's role in the 2009 terrorism drama New York brought her recognition for her acting.[66]The Kabir Khan-directed film narrated the story of three friends and how their lives are changed when one of them is wrongly detained after 9/11. Cast alongside John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kaif portrayed the character of Maya, a college student who is later married to a terrorist. On her role, Kaif remarked that she identified with Maya as she felt similar isolation whilst growing up in London because of her skin colour.[67] Kaif further opined that she had "played the arm candy in one too many films in the past" and was looking to work in more "performance oriented" films like New York.[68] The film did well at the box office and received positive reviews.[69][70] Subhash K. Jha mentions that Kaif "comes into her own as an actress of substance," adding that "[f]rom the carefree effervescent campus girl to the anguished wife, Katrina makes the journey look plausible all the way."[71] New York earned Kaif her first Filmfare nomination for Best Actress.[72] She also appeared in a cameo for India's first underwater thriller Blue.[73]
Kaif next appeared in Rajkumar Santoshi's hit comedy Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, as an orphan who is forced to marry a rich man against her wishes.[74] Kaif was generally praised for her performance; Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama mentioned that "Katrina Kaif continues to surprise [...] She scores in both emotional and light scenes," adding that her chemistry with co-star Ranbir Kapoor is "electrifying."[75] Her final release of the year was in Priyadarshan's multistarrer comedy De Dana Dan, alongside Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Sameera Reddy and Neha Dhupia.
In 2010, Kaif first appeared in Prakash Jha's political thriller Raajneeti. The film, which saw Kaif feature alongside an ensemble cast consisting of Ranbir Kapoor, Ajay Devgan, Arjun Rampal, Nana Patekar, Manoj Bajpai and Sarah Thompson, was inspired by the Indian epic The Mahabharata, and Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather.[76] Set against the backdrop of Bhopal, the picture narrated the story of a fiercely fought election campaign between two warring parties who attempt to seize power through manipulation, corruption and treachery. Before release, it was largely speculated that Kaif's character was based on Sonia Gandhi, though this was denied by Kaif. In preparation for her role as the dynamic Indu, she watched election campaign videos of Priyanka Vadra in order to study the body language of politicians and their interactions during campaigns.[77] The film met with predominantly positive reviews, though some critics complained about its poor depiction of women, saying that they are all merely "destined" to be "pregnant."[78][79] The picture received a total collection of 1.4 billion (US$21 million) at the box office, and emerged as a blockbuster.[50][80] Kaif earned generally favourable reviews for her portrayal; Kazmi mentioned that Kaif is "carefree and camera-unconscious."[81] She also appeared opposite Akshay Kumar in Farah Khan's brainless comedy Tees Maar Khan, as an aspiring actress.[82] Despite overwhelmingly poor reviews from critics, and negative media perception, the film was moderately successful at the box office.[80][83][84] Kaif's role was not received well, with Renuka Rao of Daily News and Analysis saying that her "drama queen act is performed [...] poorly," although mentioning that Kaif "does full justice" to her highly publicised item number "Sheila Ki Jawani," which emerged as a chartbuster.[85][86]
Kaif with Imran Khan at a promotional event for Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, 2011
In 2011, she was seen alongside Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol and Kalki Koechlin in Zoya Akhtar's coming-of-age dramedy Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.[87] The film narrates the story of three friends on a bachelor trip, and how the workaholic nature of one of these friends is overcome with the help of Laila (Kaif). The movie emerged as a major commercial success, with worldwide earnings of 1.53 billion (US$23 million).[50] It was also well received by critics; Pratim D. Gupta of The Telegraph remarked that the film is "beautifully scripted,"[88] whilst Mayank Shekhar said that the picture boasted of some "memorable, amusing moments."[89] In addition, Kaif's role as the fun-loving diving instructor was appreciated, with Richard Kuipers of Variety commenting that she is "delightful as the sweet-natured girl who inspires everyone to look in the mirror and do something about it."[90] She next featured in Yash Raj Films' romantic comedy Mere Brother Ki Dulhan opposite Imran Khan and Ali Zafar.[91] Kaif described her role of vivacious punk rock girl Dimple Dixit as challenging because the character had contrasting personality traits to herself.[92] Whilst the film earned mixed reviews, Kaif was extensively praised for her portrayal.[93] Gaurav Malani of The Economic Times published that the film is watchable because of "Katrina's live-wire energy wherein she never goes overboard and keeps bustling with vivacity through the runtime."[94] Trade analysts also credited the film's box office success to Kaif—who had a heroine-centric role in the film—and reflected that it was the first time she had carried a film on her own shoulders.[95][96] For her performance, Kaif also received her second Filmfare nomination in the Best Actress category.[97]
Kaif at the launch of Ek Tha Tiger's first song "Mashallah," 2012
In 2012, Kaif first appeared in an immensely popular item song for Agneepath entitled "Chikni Chameli." The song was shot over ten days and saw her dance to a type of Maharashtrian folk dance called Lavani.[98] Kaif commented on the song: "It was hard work. It was very fast and it was not a style I was used to, but I took it as a challenge [...] I am happy people are liking it."[99] She next appeared in Kabir Khan's espionage thriller Ek Tha Tiger as Zoya, an ISI agent who falls in love with an Indian RAW agent. The film received predominantly positive reviews, with Aniruddha Guha of Daily News and Analysis calling the movie "smart and stylish."[100][101] Kaif was appreciated for her action quotient, as well as her performance; Shubhra Gupta of the The Indian Express wrote that she is "an able, animated foil to Salman, her long legs making her leaps and kicks credible," and added that "she brings the right degree of playfulness" to her character.[102]The pairing of Kaif with Khan (her ex-boyfriend) resulted in much hype, and the film was hugely successful at the box office; with worldwide earnings of 3.1 billion (US$47 million), the film became the third highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time.[103][104]
Kaif's next appearance was for Yash Chopra's swan song, the romance Jab Tak Hai Jaan, in which she featured alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma. On working with Chopra, Kaif remarked that "Yashji undoubtedly is the king of romance and I have always admired the way he presents his heroines. It was always a dream to work with him and the reality is even better."[105]Kaif portrayed Meera, a woman who makes a promise with God to end her rendezvous with her coma-stricken lover, given that he survives. The movie generated mostly positive reviews; Rajeev Masand wrote that "[d]espite its many script problems, it's a consistently watchable film that oozes with feeling and real emotion."[106][107] On the other hand Kaif's performance attracted a mixed reception; in one review, Rohit Vats published that "Meera's role was a difficult one and Katrina falls short in emotional scenes. It seems Katrina still doesn't feel very easy in front of the camera and has difficulty with complex expressions. But boy she can dance!"[108] Commercially, the film proved a box office hit.[109]
Kaif has finished work on the third installment of the Dhoom franchise, Dhoom 3, which is set for a release in December 2013. Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, the film will see Kaif star as a gymnast alongside Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra.[110]She is currently filming for Siddharth Anand's action comedy Bang Bang, opposite Hrithik Roshan, as well as Kabir Khan's post 26/11counter-terrorism drama Phantom with Saif Ali Khan.[111][112] Kaif has also been signed on for Anurag Basu's comedy-mystery filmJagga Jasoos (alongside Ranbir Kapoor) and Abhishek Kapoor's adaptation of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations entitled Fitoor, where she will play a role based on the character of Estella Havisham opposite Aditya Roy Kapur.[113][114]
Kaif at an event forNakshatra Jewellery, 2012
In addition to acting in films, Kaif has supported charitable organisations, and performed for stage shows. In 2008, she took part in Temptation Reloaded 2008, a series of concerts showcased across several different countries. The show, which also featured Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan,Ganesh Hegde, Javed Ali and Anusha Dandekar, took place at the Ahoy Rotterdam venue in Rotterdam,Netherlands.[115] Several months later, she again joined Rampal, Kapoor and Khan to perform for 15,000 spectators at Dubai's Festival City Arena.[116] In 2009, Kaif performed at the closing ceremony of the second edition of Indian Premier League alongside international rapper Akon at The Wanderers Cricket Stadium in Johannesburg.[117] She also performed at many awards, Police Show events, concerts and also a performance at Temptations Reloaded concert with Shah Rukh Khan, Ali Zafar and Preity Zinta in Muscat in 2013. Katrina performed at the opening ceremony of the 6th edition of the IPL in April, 2013.
Kaif is considered one of the most beautiful celebrities in India—the media cites her skin, hair and figure as her distinctive physical features.[118] As such, she ranks highly on various listings of the most attractive Indian celebrities.[119] Kaif was named the "World's Sexiest Woman" by FHM in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013;[120] and was also described as the "Sexiest Asian Woman" by UK magazineEastern Eye for three consecutive years since 2008.[121] The actress featured on Verve's list of most powerful women in 2009 and 2010,[122][123] and The Times of India ranked her amongst the top five "Most Desirable Woman" from 2009 to 2012.[124] In 2011, Kaif was named "India's Most Beautiful Woman" by the Indian edition of People magazine,[125] and two years later, was ranked ranked tenth onForbes' "Celebrity 100," a list based on the income and popularity of India's biggest entertainers.[126]
Kaif is one of India's highest paid celebrity endorsers, and is the ambassador of many prominent brands including Slice, Nakshatra,Lux, Olay, Panasonic and Pantene, among others.[44][127] She is also the first Bollywood actress to have a Barbie doll modelled after herself.[128] In 2012, International Advertising Association named Kaif (along with Salman Khan) as the "Brand Endorser of the Year
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