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Atif Aslam
Background information
Also known as	Aatif, Aadee
Born	Wazir abad, Pakistan (1983-03-12) 12 March 1983 (age 29)
Origin	Lahore, Pakistan
Genres	Rock, pop
Occupations	Singer, actor
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2001-present
Labels	Fire, Tips
Associated acts	Strings, Jal, Hadiqa Kiani, Shreya Ghoshal, Alka Yagnik, Sachin Gupta, Pritam, Alisha Chinoy, Sunidhi Chauhan
Website	www.aadeez.com

Atif Aslam (Urdu: عاطف اسلم, born Mohammad Atif Aslam; 12 March 1983 in Wazirabad, (Pakistan) is a Pakistani pop singer and film actor. He debuted in the film Bol and has given several hit songs^[1] .He is known for his vocal belting technique.^[2] In 2008, he was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan. .Atif Aslam has done his Bachleors in Computer Sciences from Punjab Institute Of Computer Sciences (PICS).

Music career[link]

Solo career (2004 onwards)[link]

After leaving Pakistani pop band Jal, Atif released his first solo album, Jal Pari, on 19 July 2004, under Sound Master and IC records. His work has gradually also become became popular in India. His is second album, Doorie, was released on 22 December 2006.

His first major concert was at Al Hamra Hall, Mall Road Lahore where he performed during the break of a stage drama Moulin Rouge. On 14 April 2007, Atif headlined in the Flex FX Dhamaka^[3] alongside Jay Sean at Royal Albert Hall. His first international concert was at W. StarDreamz Entertainment Group during his tour of USA and Canada with RDB and Annie. He recently performed in London's O2 Arena on 22nd April 2012 at the Flex FX Production's Dhamaka^[4] Bollywood Concert with Naz Choudhury^[5] and his Bolly Flex team to promote love, peace & unity among India and Pakistan becoming first Pakistani pop singer to perform on The O2 Arena stage.

Atif also mentioned in a press conference held in Karachi that he will be working on an international project titled The Dreamer Awakes, alongside members of American rock band Guns N' Roses.^{[citation needed]}

There were rumors circulating online that his new album was titled Shabnam. This was denied by Atif. “Right now, my entire focus is on this project (The Dreamer Awakes). I may be singing with Chris Martin or John Mayer… we’re trying to bring a lot of people together.”^[6] He has been greatly influenced by the singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Kishore Kumar and K.K.

Sarmad Ghafoor, a guitarist and producer for Qayaas contacted Atif Aslam to collaborate with them for the Fifth Season of Coke Studio (Pakistan). Atif Aslam in collaboration with Qayaas performed a revived rendition of "Charkha Nolakha" by Ustaad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The song and that entire episode received positive reviews from critics not only in Pakistan but also across the border in India.

Bollywood[link]

Atif has sung frequently for Bollywood films. His voice as a playback singer can be heard in Indian films such as "Pehli Nazar Mein", Race, "Tere Bin", Bas Ek Pal, "Bakhuda Tumhi Ho" in Kismat Konnection, "Leja tu mujhe",F.A.L.T.U, "Tera Hone Laga Hoon" and "Tu Jaane Na" in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, "Aa Bhi Ja Sanam", "O Mere Khuda", "Tere Liye" and "Kaun Hoon Main" in the film Prince.^[7] He sang two songs "Piya O Re Piya" and "Tu Mohabbat Hai" in Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya.

Hollywood[link]

Atif has three songs featured in Hollywood movies as well.^[8]

Acting career[link]

Atif made his acting debut in a Pakistani movie named Bol, 2011. He also made a special appearance in film songs like Tere Bin kaise jiya jai,Pehli Nazar mein,in the film Tere Bin,Pehli Nazar,Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya's song Tu Mohabbat Hai.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Bollywood/Lollywood songs[link]

Filmography[link]

• Bol - Mustafa, 2011
• Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya - Special Appearance in song Tu Mohabbat Hai

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Atif Aslam at the Internet Movie Database
• Atif aslam news updates

It has been suggested that List of awards and nominations received by Vivek Oberoi be merged into this article or section. ([[Talk:<Vivek Oberoi>#Merger proposal|Discuss]]) Proposed since April 2012.

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2010)

Vivek Oberoi
Vivek Oberoi at Sailor Today Awards
Born	Vivek Anand Oberoi (1976-09-03) 3 September 1976 (age 35) Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Occupation	Film actor
Years active	2002–present
Spouse	Priyanka Alva Oberoi
Website
http://vivek-oberoi.com

Vivek Oberoi^[1] (born 3 September 1976) is an Indian actor. He is the son of Bollywood actor Suresh Oberoi and Yashodhara Oberoi.

Early life[link]

Born to a Punjabi father and a Tamil mother,^[2] Vivek attended Mayo college in Ajmer.^[3] At an actors' workshop in London he was spotted by the director of New York University who took Vivek off to New York, where he completed his Masters Degree in film acting.^[4] Vivek also worked as a script writer in India.^[5]

Career[link]

Vivek Oberoi made his debut with Ram Gopal Varma's film Company.^[6] He received Filmfare Awards for Best Debut as well as Best Supporting Actor. He then starred in the action films, Road and Dum. In Dum, he played the role of a man trying to become a part of Indian police but faces many troubles with a police inspector.

Next, he starred in Saathiya (2002) directed by Shaad Ali. The film was a big hit at the box office and earned him a Filmfare nomination in the Best Actor category. He starred in a comedy Masti (2004). In 2004, he also starred in Yuva . In 2005 he acted the title character in the film Kisna: The Warrior Poet.

In 2006, he appeared in Omkara, an adaptation of Shakespeare's play Othello.^[7] He played the character of Kesu, based on the character Michael Cassio in the original play. After seeing Oberoi's performance, Gulzar congratulated him.^[8]

In 2007, he acted as the gangster Maya Dolas in the multi-starrer, Shootout at Lokhandwala,

In 2008, Oberoi starred in Mission Istanbul, which was directed by Apoorva Lakhia and produced by Ekta Kapoor. He performed to the song Apun Ke Saath, produced for the film by Vikas Kohli, at the 2008 International Indian Film Academy Awards.^[9]

In 2009 he co-starred in Kurbaan

In 2010, he appeared in Prince, which received a good response from the crowd.^[10][11] In the same year, he appeared in Ram Gopal Varma's Rakht Charitra.^[12] Here he played the role of a south India politician Paritala Ravi.

Oberoi is slated to play the lead role in the film, Bloody Paki, that will be directed by Shaad Ali and Shiva and produced by Mani Ratnam.^[13] Vivek Oberoi signed a new film 'Kismat Love Paisa Dilli'.^[14] Vivek produced a film named "Watch Indian Circus" in 2011.^[15] The film got featured in 16th Busan Film festival which had thousands of people as the audience, in the age group of 16–40 years who voted the Film as the Best and made it win the Audience Choice Award for Best Film from 3000 films worldwide and amongst 380 films screened.In 16 years of the History of Busan, this is the First Indian Film to win this acclaimed and prestigious award. The Film has already received rave reviews from International Critics and reporters from Hollywood Reporter, Variety and Screen International.^[16]

Philanthropy[link]

Vivek Oberoi was awarded the Red and White Bravery Award in 2006 for helping re-build a village which was hit severely by the Tsunami. Oberoi, at the age of 28, was in Chennai when disaster struck and assembled six truckloads of relief supplies and also adopted a tsunami-ravaged village in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu.^[17] Oberoi and his family founded The Yashodhara Oberoi Foundation (YOF). Oberoi serves as the World Health Organization's anti-tobacco spokesperson. He is involved with several charities in Chennai and Mumbai. His work with Project Hope to bring relief to victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami earned him a Good Samaritan Award from Rotary International.^[18]

His philanthropic activities also include Project Devi, Cancer Patients Aid Association and Banyan, which works towards rehabilitating mentally challenged homeless women. In all, Vivek has donated about Rs 3 million (Rs 30 lakh) and helped raise Rs 25 million (Rs 250 lakh).^[19]

Personal life[link]

Vivek Oberoi previously got engaged to Gurpreet Gill in 2002. However, the couple broke up after sometime.^[20] He was also linked to Aishwarya Rai for some time, before they broke up. On 29 October 2010, Oberoi married Priyanka Alva, daughter of Karnataka minister Jeevaraj Alva, in Bangalore.^[21]

Awards[link]

Filmfare Awards

Winner

• 2010 - IIFA Green Global Award^[22]

Filmography[link]

Dubbing career[link]

In 2010, Vivek Oberoi has spoke over his own roles in Tamil for the Prince and Rakta Charitra films.

Dubbing Roles[link]

Live action films[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Vivek Oberoi at the Internet Movie Database
• Vivek Oberoi's official site

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Alisha Chinai
Background information
Birth name	Sujata Chinai
Also known as	Alisha, Alisha Chinoy
Born	(1965-03-18) 18 March 1965 (age 47) India
Genres	Indipop, playback singing
Occupations	Singer
Years active	1988–present

Alisha Chinai (Hindi: अलीशा चिनॉय; born 18 March 1965) is an Indian pop singer known for her albums as well as playback singing in Hindi cinema.^[1]

Career[link]

Alisha's initial albums include Jadoo, Baby Doll, Aaah Alisha and Made in India.^[1] Alisha was introduced to Hindi film music by the veteran music director and composer Bappi Lahiri. They had many disco hits together in many films in the 1980s including "Tarzan", Dance Dance, Commando, Guru, Love Love Love etc. When she started her career with him, she was doing playback singing for many actresses, such as Smita Patil, Mandakini, Sridevi, Juhi Chawla, Madhuri Dixit and Divya Bharati etc. In 1985, Alisha sang with Remo Fernandes in the album Old Goan Gold. She also recorded a song for Pankuj Parashar's film Jalwa (1987), composed by Anand-Milind. One of her biggest hits during the 80s was "Kaate Nahin Katte" (Mr. India) in 1987, which she recorded with Kishore Kumar under the music direction of Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Another successful track in 1989 was "Raat Bahr Jaam Se" from the film Tridev, which had music by Kalyanji-Anandji and Viju Shah.

In the 90s, she took on working in different films, collaborating with other music directors, such as Anu Malik, Anand-Milind, Rajesh Roshan and Nadeem-Shravan. Throughout these years, she had several Bollywood hit songs, including "Tere Ishq Mein Nachenge" (Raja Hindustani), "Chaa Raha Hain Pyaar Ka Nasha" (Chandramukhi), "Roundhe" (Pyar Tune Kya Kiya), "Sona Sona Roop Hai" (Bollywood/Hollywood), "Mouje Mein" (Karobaar), "De Diya" (Keemat), "Ruk Ruk Ruk" (Vijaypath) and the controversial "Sexy sexy sexy Mujhe Log Bole" (Khud-daar).

Simultaneously with playback singing, she has recorded many songs as a pop singer, with album releases. Chinai was noted for her 1995 hit single and album, titled Made in India, which was composed by Biddu. Made in India went on to become one of the highest selling pop albums of its time and Alisha became a household name. This album contains well-known songs like, "Aaja Mere Dil Mein", "Ek Baar Do Baar", "Sun O Meri Dhadkan", "Tu Kahan", "Ooh La La", "Tu Jo Mila", "Dhokha Diya Hai Re Tune Mere Dil" and "Lover Girl". With its success, Alisha announced her departure from playback singing and wanted to concentrate only on private pop albums. However, her follow-up albums were less successful. This was also the period when she got into a major controversy with the man who recorded several hit songs with her, Anu Malik. During the release of Made in India, Alisha had accused Anu Malik of molesting her. While some claim it was a publicity stunt by the singer to promote her album, Anu Malik and Alisha did not work for several years, only to reunite in 2003 with Ishq Vishq.

Alisha's comeback to film music was with the song "Oh My Darling" in the Yash Raj Film Mujhse Dosti Karoge. Through the 2000-2009 decade, she recorded primarily with Himesh Reshammiya, Shankar Ehsaan Loy and Pritam. After her controversy with Anu Malik in the 90s, she patched up with him to record for a number of films starting with Ishq Vishq, Fida, No Entry, Love Story 2050, Maan Gaye Mughle Azam, Ugly Aur Pagli, Chehraa and Kambakht Ishq.

In 2005, she had one of her highest career points came with "Kajra Re" (Bunty Aur Babli). The song was a hit and Alisha won her first and only Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer.

Alisha was a judge in Indian Idol 3 and is a judge in Zee TV's Star ya Rockstar with Anu Malik.

Personal life[link]

Alisha changed her name to that of her cousin’s daughter Alisha (also Chinai) after she was born.^[2] She was married to her manager Rajesh Jhaveri and is now separated.^[3]

Awards[link]

• Alisha received the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award for the song "Kajra Re" from Bunty Aur Babli in 2005.^[4]
• Alisha received the International Billboard Award around the time Made in India came out,^[5] and also won the Freddie Mercury Award for Artistic Excellence.

Partial discography[link]

1. Jadoo
2. Aah...
3. Alisha Unleashed
4. Soniya
5. Lover Girl
6. Alisha: Baby Doll of India
7. Madonna
8. Bombay Girl
9. Made In India
10. Om
11. Alisha
12. Greatest Hits
13. Film Hits
14. Best of Alisha Live
15. Dil Ki Rani
16. Shut Up N Kiss Me
17. Alisha : Singer Doll of India

[edit] Partial discography^[6]

• Alisha Unleashed

1. Aah Alisha
2. Babusha
3. Baby doll
4. Dekho dekho
5. Dheere dheere
6. Jadoo
7. Kiss ko dil doon
8. Pyaara awara
9. Rootho na hum se
10. Shor sharaaba
11. Superman
12. Tara
13. Tarzan my Tarzan
14. Vote for Alisha

• Jaadoo

1. Jaadoo
2. Khuda
3. Mon cheri
4. My angel blue
5. Rootho na humse
6. Kabhi na raat
7. Tum meri zindagi ho
8. Jaadoo

• Alisha

1. Seulement vous (Only you)
2. Ishq se ishq
3. Dilbar jaaniya
4. Maashuka
5. Woh pyaar mera
6. Soniyaa
7. Don't want your love
8. Aai teri yaad
9. Dhuaan dhuaan
10. Can you dance

• Made In India

1. Made in India
2. Lover girl
3. Dil
4. Tu kahaan
5. Ek baar do baar
6. Aajaa
7. Mere saath
8. Oo la la
9. Dhadkan
10. Made in India (Remix)
11. Dede

• Shutup N Kiss Me

1. Shutup n kiss me (Ravi Bal mix)
2. Sohneya aaja (Smedrock dance refix)
3. Tra la la- tere pyaar mein (3si Ibiza mix)
4. Dil goes boom (Mumbai mix)
5. Meri jaan mujhe kehke
6. Silsila (Jazzed up mix)
7. Ghazal
8. Shutup n kiss me (Ravi Bal hiphop refix)
9. Sohneya aaja (Sli Booty mix)
10. Sooni meri kalai
11. Be my lady
12. Shutup n kiss me (Cheeky Monkee refix)

• Kamasutra

1. Kamasutra
2. Main aur tu
3. Intezaar
4. Rota hai kyun mera dil
5. Jhoom baby jhoom
6. Vote for alisha
7. Hai gam humdum
8. Dancing queen
9. Kisko dil de doon
10. Taara
11. Jannat
12. Jalta hai kyun tan badan

Selected hit songs[link]

• "Made in India" (Made in India)
• "Jumbalakka" (Thakshak, 1999)
• "Panch Vorsam" (Konkani, Old Goan Gold, 1985)
• "Rajan Ani Prema" (Konkani, Old Goan Gold, 1985)
• "Zooby Zooby" (Dance Dance)
• "Let's Do It" (Jalwa)
• "Kaate Nahin" (Mr. India)
• "Raat Bhare Jaam se" (Tridev)
• "Dhak Dhak" (Maha Sangram)
• "Cha Raha Hain" (Chandramukhi)
• "Sexy Sexy" (Khuddar)
• "Tu Shama Main Parwana Tera" (Khiladi)
• "Ruk Ruk Ruk" (Vijaypath)
• "Bambai Se Rail Chali" (Zaalim)
• "My Adorable Darling" (Main Khiladi Tu Anari)
• "Ure Baba" (Bambai Ka Babu)
• "Tere Ishq Main Nachenge" (Raja Hindustani)
• "Krishna Krishna" (Insaaf)
• "De Diya Dil Piya" (Keemat)
• "Tinka, Tinka" (Karam)
• "Pyaar Aaya" (Plan)
• "Mehboob Mere" (Plan)
• "Oh My Darling!" (Mujhse Dosti Karoge, 2002)
• "Rang Rang Mere Rang Rang Mein" (Bollywood/Hollywood, 2002)
• "Chot Dil Pe Lagi" (Ishq Vishk, 2003)
• "Dil Ko Hazar Bar" (Murder, 2004)
• "Maine Jisko Chaha" (Fida, 2004)
• "Hamnasheen" (Dobara, 2004)
• "Tinka Tinka" (Karam, 2005)
• "Kajra Re" (Bunty Aur Babli, 2005)
• "Ishq Di Gali" (No Entry, 2005)
• "Dil Chura ke Mere" (No Entry, 2005)
• "Yeh Ishq Mein" (No Entry, 2005)
• "Aaj Ki Raat" (Don, 2006)
• "Touch Me" (Dhoom 2, 2006)
• "It's Rocking" (Kya Love Story Hai, 2007)
• "Ticket To Hollywood" (Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, 2007)
• "Lover Boy" (Love Story 2050, 2008)
• "Bebo" (Kambakkht Ishq, 2009)
• "Tera Hone Laga Hoon" (Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, 2009)
• "Jiyara Jiyara" (Prince, 2010)
• "Dilruba" (Namastey London, 2007)

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Official Alisha Chinai Website
• Alisha Chinai at the Internet Movie Database

Ranbir Kapoor
Kapoor at the BIG Star Entertainment Awards, December 2011
Born	(1982-09-28) 28 September 1982 (age 29) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2007–present
Parents	Rishi Kapoor Neetu Singh
Signature	150px

Ranbir Kapoor (born 28 September 1982^[1]) is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood movies.

Making his acting debut in the 2007 film Saawariya, for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut, Kapoor earned positive notice for his performance in Wake Up Sid (2009). He later appeared in the romantic comedy Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009) and the political thriller Raajneeti (2010), with the later being his biggest commercial success to date.^[2] In 2011, Kapoor starred and earned critical acclaim for his performance in Rockstar for which he received the Best Actor and Best Actor (Critics) awards at the Filmfare ceremony.

Early life[link]

Ranbir Kapoor, the son of actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, was born into a family of Punjabi origin;^[3] his sister is Riddhima Kapoor Sahni. He is the grandson of actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor, great grandson of Prithviraj Kapoor, nephew of actors Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor, grand-nephew of actors Shashi Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor, and first-cousin of actresses Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor. Kapoor studied at Bombay Scottish School in Mahim, Mumbai and went on to pursue method acting at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York.^[4]

Career[link]

Before starting off his career as an actor, Kapoor appeared in two short films: Passion to Love (2002), which was also directed by him, and India 1964 (2004). He later began working as an assistant with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, where he was involved in the making of the film Black (2005).^[5] Kapoor who initially had plans of becoming an actor was later cast by Bhansali in his next directional venture, Saawariya opposite newcomer Sonam Kapoor. The film failed to do well at the box office,^[6] though his performance was largely appreciated. Kapoor was then seen in Siddharth Anand's romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) alongside Bipasha Basu, Minissha Lamba and Deepika Padukone. The film was a semi-hit at the box-office.^[7]

2009 saw Kapoor appear in three movies. His first release was Ayan Mukerji's Wake Up Sid, in which he portrayed the character of Siddharth Mehra, a spoiled and self-centered college student from Mumbai. Featured opposite Konkona Sen Sharma, the film was a critical and commercial success.^[8] Shrey Patnaik wrote, "Ranbir's Sid is a near-perfect portrait of the aimless young man searching for a direction in life. Ranbir handles the character's inner life with the effortlessness of a Sitar maestro twiddling with his instrument's strings to create a music that takes the audience to a world where the sounds suggest a harmony between art and life. In Wake Up Sid, Ranbir proves once and for all that he's the future of Hindi cinema."^[9] Kapoor earned several nominations for Best Actor. He next starred alongside Katrina Kaif in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, which surfaced as one of the biggest hits of the year.^[10]

Following this, Kapoor appeared in Shimit Amin's drama Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. Upon release, the film received positive reviews by critics but failed to do well.^[11] Kapoor's performance was critically acclaimed, with one critic writing, "Ranbir brings to his part a whole lot of earnestness and heart. His natural and utterly contagious exuberance so much on display in his last two films Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani is effortlessly curbed here."^[12]

In 2010, he featured in Prakash Jha's multi-starrer political thriller Rajneeti. The film opened to positive reviews and was declared a "blockbuster".^[13] His performance was well received with critic Nikhat Kazmi concluding, "The film finally belongs to Ranbir Kapoor who perfects the art of minimalism – and literally grows before your eyes – as the simmering volcano that cannot be held back, once it erupts. He's as grey and soot-filled, as volcanoes go."^[14] In the same year, Kapoor appeared alongside Priyanka Chopra in Siddharth Anand's Anjaana Anjaani which was a moderate box office success.^[13]

2011 saw Kapoor feature opposite newcomer Nargis Fakhri in Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar. The film, upon release, met with positive to mixed reviews^[15] and grossed over Rs.1 billion worldwide^[16] In a review published by CNN-IBN, Rajeev Masand wrote: "Rockstar belongs to Ranbir Kapoor over everyone else. It is a riveting performance [...] and Ranbir roots it in the real. Watch how he seizes the stage in the "Sadda Haq" number and virtually makes the track his own. For Ranbir alone, this film deserves a watch."^[17] The film earned Kapoor a Best Actor and Best Actor (Critics) award at the 2012 Filmfare awards ceremony.

As of April 2012, Kapoor is scheduled to appear in Anurag Basu's Barfee alongside Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz and Ayan Mukherjee's Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani alongside ex-girlfriend Deepika Padukone.

In the media[link]

Kapoor currently lives with his parents in Pali Hill in Mumbai, Maharashtra. During an interview in March 2008, he announced that he was dating Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone;^[18] the couple later broke up in 2009.^[19] In 2008, Kapoor co-hosted the 54th Filmfare Awards alongside Imran Khan; he was later chosen to co-host the 56th and 57th edition of the award ceremony alongside Imran Khan and Shah Rukh Khan respectively. During November 2010, he made an appearance on the talk show Koffee with Karan alongside Imran Khan.

Awards and nominations[link]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ranbir Kapoor at the Internet Movie Database

Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif in 2012
Born	(1984-07-16) 16 July 1984 (age 27) Hong Kong
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality	British[1]
Ethnicity	British Indian
Occupation	Model, Actress
Years active	2003 – present

Katrina Kaif (born 16 July 1984^[2]) is a British Indian actress and former model who appears in Indian films, mainly in the Hindi-language film industry.^[3][4] She has also appeared in Telugu and Malayalam films. She was voted the sexiest Asian woman in the world by Eastern Eye in the years 2008, 2009 and 2010.^[5][6] Being a British citizen, she works in India on an employment visa.^[1]

Kaif made her acting debut with Kaizad Gustad's box office bomb Boom (2003). She tasted success in 2007 with Vipul Shah's Namastey London and followed with such films as Anees Bazmee's Welcome (2007), Abbas-Mustan's Race (2008) and Kabir Khan's New York (2009).^[7] 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).^[8]

Early years and personal life[link]

Kaif was born in Hong Kong,^[9] to an Indian Kashmiri father,^[10][11][12] Mohammed Kaif, and an English mother, Susanna Turquotte,^[13] both of whom are British citizens. 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."^[14] When she came to India, she changed her surname to Kaif, because it was Indian in origin.^[15] Furthermore, Ayesha Shroff has maintained that the actress' original name is Katrina Turquotte.^[15] Kaif has seven siblings; a brother and six sisters.^[16] 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.^[17] 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.^[17]

Religious views[link]

Kaif is known to have secular religious views, and has been to various religious places in India,^[18] including Hindu, Sikh and Islamic places of worship.^[19] She has been seen worshipping at Siddhivinayak temple, Hindu temples in Haridwar, Shirdi, Amritsar's Golden temple and Ajmer Sharif dargah.^[19][20][21]

Career[link]

Modeling and early film career (1998–2004)[link]

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.^[22]

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.^[23][24]

Breakthrough (2005–2006)[link]

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".^[25] The following year, she was paired opposite Akshay Kumar for the first time 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." ^[26]

Success (2007– present)[link]

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.^[27] 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.^[28] 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,^[28] 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. " ^[29]

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.^[30] Kaif's final release of the year, Subhash Ghai's Yuvvraaj, was a commercial failure,^[31] 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.^[32][33]

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.^[34] 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."^[35] For her performance, Kaif received her first Filmfare nomination in the Best Actress category.^[7] 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.^[36] 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.^[37] Her final release that year was Priyadarshan's star-studded De Dana Dan with Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal and Neha Dhupia. Despite a good opening, the film failed to do well at the box office.^[38]

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.^[39] Her final release that year was Farah Khan's brainless comedy Tees Maar Khan with Akshay Kumar.^[40] The film received unanimous negative reviews from critics and was declared a flop. However, Kaif's item number Sheila Ki Jawani became a major chartbuster.^[41]

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,^[42] 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."^[43] She next featured in Yash Raj Films' comedy Mere Brother Ki Dulhan opposite Imran Khan and Ali Zafar.^[44] 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."^[45] Consequently, she received her second Filmfare nomination in the Best Actress category.

As of January 2012, Kaif is set to appear in three high-profile productions under the Yash Raj Films banner such as Kabir Khan's spy thriller Ek Tha Tiger opposite Salman Khan, Yash Chopra's Untitled Project alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma and Vijay Krishna Acharya's adventure film Dhoom 3 alongside Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra and Rimi Sen.

Voice dubbing[link]

It should be noted that due to her poor knowledge of Hindi (and other Indian languages), Kaif's voice was often dubbed by another actress. 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.^[46]

Brand endorsements[link]

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".^[47] She has also worked for several skin products companies, particularly Veet, as well as several multi-national brands, such as Panasonic.^[48] Katrina is now the brand ambassador of the national airline of the United Arab Emirates – Etihad Airways.^[49]

Awards[link]

She has won 14 awards including Filmfare awards and also nominated for 13 awards till now.

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

Bollywood portal

• British Indian

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Katrina Kaif

• Katrina Kaif at the Internet Movie Database