Katrina Kaif

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Katrina Kaif

     Katrina Kaif was born in Hong Kong with her mother's surname Turquotte (also spelt Turcotte), on 16 July 1983. According to the actress, her father (Mohammed Kaif) is a British businessman of Kashmiri descent and her mother (Suzanne, also spelt Susanna) is an English lawyer and charity worker. She has seven siblings: three older sisters (Stephanie, Christine and Natasha), three younger sisters (Melissa, Sonia, Isabel) and an older brother, Michael. Isabel Kaif is also a model and actress. Kaif's parents divorced when she was a child, and her father moved to the United States. She said her father had no influence on Kaif or her siblings while they were growing up, and they were raised by their mother. On her father's absence in her life, Kaif stated: "When I see friends who have wonderful fathers who are like pillars of support for their families, I say, if only I had that. But instead of complaining, I should be grateful for all the other things I have". In a 2009 interview with The Indian Express, she said she was not in touch with her father.

     Kaif says that her mother decided to "dedicate her life to social causes", which led to the family's relocation to a number of countries for varying lengths of time: Our transitions in growing up were—from Hong Kong where I was born, to China, then to Japan, and from Japan by boat to France ... After France, Switzerland—and I'm cutting out many East European countries where we were for only a few months each—then Poland in Kraków ... After that we went to Belgium, then to Hawaii, which was a short time, and then came to London.

     Due to their frequent relocation, Kaif and her siblings were home-schooled by a series of tutors. Although she is thought to have grown up in London, she lived there for only three years before moving to India. According to Kaif, she then changed her surname to her father's because she thought it would be easier to pronounce.

     Kaif's paternal parentage has been questioned by some members of the film industry. In a 2011 interview with Mumbai Mirror, Boom producer Ayesha Shroff accused Kaif of fabricating her history: "We created an identity for her. She was this pretty young English girl, and we gave her the Kashmiri father and thought of calling her Katrina Kazi. We thought we'd give her some kind of Indian ancestry, to connect with the audience ... But then we thought that Kazi sounded too ... religious? ... Mohammad Kaif was at the top, and so we said, Katrina Kaif sounds really great". Kaif called Shroff's comments "hurtful".

Personal life:

     Kaif's personal life has been the subject of extensive media attention. She is reluctant to discuss her romantic life: "I have always believed that there is life before marriage and after marriage. Before marriage ... you are termed a single woman and I choose to conduct that part of my life with absolute dignity and discretion". Although rumours of a relationship with Salman Khan first emerged in 2003, it was not until after their 2010 breakup that Kaif spoke of the affair, calling it her first serious relationship. They have remained friends, and the actress credits Khan with giving her confidence and guidance:

     He’s had a huge role in my career. There’s no doubt about that. I value his opinion. But as a person, Salman has had the biggest impact on my life. I became friends with him when I was young. And his persona is very strong. If I were to look back and see his impact on my life, it’s been tremendous. The reported reason for their breakup was Kaif's increasing closeness to Ranbir Kapoor during the filming of Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. Although this was denied by Kaif and Kapoor, the nature of their relationship was scrutinised by the media because they were involved with others at the time. In August 2013, intimate photographs of Kapoor and Kaif on holiday in Ibiza were leaked by Stardust; the media interpreted this as confirmation of an affair. After the appearance of the photos, Kaif published an open letter to the media saying that she was "upset, distressed and invaded" by the breach of privacy. She later acknowledged Kapoor as "an extremely important part of [her] life".

     Although Kaif does not own a house in India, she has bought property in London. As a British citizen, she works in India on a visa. Kaif has a close relationship with her family, and the lack of a father figure in her life has given her a sense of responsibility towards them. While Kaif's mother is Christian and her father is Muslim, Kaif was brought up to practise all faiths and says she is a "firm believer in God". The Times of India reported in 2009 that she visits Siddhivinayak Temple, Mount Mary Church and the Sufi shrine Dargah Sharif before her films are released.

Off-screen work:

     Kaif is involved with Relief Projects India, a charitable trust run by her mother which rescues abandoned baby girls and works to prevent female infanticide. Kaif's winnings from the game shows 10 Ka Dum and Kaun Banega Crorepati were donated to her mother's Mercy Home orphanage. In 2009 and 2010, Kaif also walked the ramp for charity as part of Salman Khan's "Being Human" show. To raise funds for a new school in Madurai she recorded Rhyme Skool, an album of nursery rhymes composed by A. R. Rahman. In 2011, Kaif visited sepoys in Jammu as part of NDTV's reality program Jai Jawan. The following year she visited the Cancer Patients Aid Association to gift cancer survivors and increase public awareness of breast and cervical cancer.

     

     Kaif has also performed onstage, participating in Shah Rukh Khan's "Temptations Reloaded" world concert tour in 2008. Also featuring Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, the tour began in Amsterdam in June and ended four months later in Dubai's Festival City Arena before an audience of 15,000. Kaif rejoined Shah Rukh Khan for his 2013 "Temptations Reloaded" concert in Muscat, performing to an audience of over 18,000.

     She performed with Akon at the closing ceremony of the 2009 Indian Premier League at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, and joined Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and Pitbull in Kolkata for the opening ceremony of the 2013 IPL season. Kaif has also performed at awards ceremonies. In 2006 Kaif performed at the Global Indian Film Awards and danced to songs from Race at the 2008 IIFA Awards in Bangkok. She also performed at the 55th Filmfare Awards in 2010 and the 2013 Zee Cine Awards, both in Mumbai.

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