Directors choice With five box-office hits in a year, Katrina Kaif has wowed ..

Somebody should make a film on Katrina Kaif — the British girl who came in from the cold and within a couple of years, has emerged as the hottest and the highest paid heroine of Hindi cinema. The film could well be called Luck By Chance, only that the title has already been taken by Zoya Akhtar, who made her directorial debut with brother Farhan Akhtar as the hero. Farhan plays a wannabe star, who lands in Mumbai to discover that more than merit or hard work, it is plain luck that determines success in Bollywood.

Katrina’s success story is scripted along similar lines. Born in Hong Kong (of a Kashmiri father and British mother) and raised in London, she landed in Mumbai in 2003 at the age of 19, got noticed by fashion photographer Atul Kasbekar for a glamour shoot, and ended up with her first role in a Hindi film — as Popdi Chinchpokli in Kaizad Gustad’s Boom. The film bombed and Katrina disappeared down South doing Malayalam and Telugu films. After a couple of years she resurfaced in Bollywood along side Akshay Kumar in Namastey London, a re-jig of Manoj Kumar’s yesteryear hit, Purab Aur Paschim. Next, she is Priya in Partner, Sanjana in Welcome, Sophia in Race, Sonia in Singh is Kiing, Anushka in Yuvvraaaj`85 Today, she is everywhere.

So what is it that Bollywood directors find so special about Katrina? A lot, actually. One, she has the height. Few Hindi film heroines (and leading men) can measure up to that 5’ 9" inch frame. Two, she has a flawless peaches and cream complexion and skin. Three, no Indian speaks Hindi the way she does. Four, she has certain obvious limitations as an actress because she is neither trained nor blessed with the essential skills of performing for the camera.

Five, she is no classical beauty, even in the limited Bollywood sense. In fact, her big-boned structure, the expressionless gaze and certain trademark mannerisms betray a marked absence of sex appeal. Yet, she has become the heroine most in demand and is being teamed with almost all top -ranking heroes. What’s even more incredible is that she is turning out one hit after another with unfailing regularity.