Katrina, more than just a pretty face

New Delhi: With her ethereal looks, Katrina is one of the most beautiful actresses in Bollywood today.

He roles in her last two films Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya and Sarkar may have showcased her just as a newcomer with good looks, but with her next film Humko Diwana Kar Gaye, Katrina is set on the path to establish herself as an actress with 'more than just a good face.

"For the first time, I am doing a film which has me in the solo lead. previously all my films whether it was Boom, Sarkar'or Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya featured me either in guest appearances or in a supporting role of a foreign returned girl. So I am quite excited at the prospect of having my first solo film," Katrina said.

"It's about a simple girl Jia from a rich family settled abroad. She meets a man (Akshay Kumar) while on a shopping trip and subsequently keeps on bumping into him. It is about how after meeting Akshay, her life changes forever," she added.

For Katrina, bagging a lead in a film by renowned director Raj Kanwar was nothing short of a windfall.

"As a teenager, I have loved the family films by Raj Kanwar. And for that matter bagging the lead role of Jia in Humko Diwana Kar Gaye was a dream come true indeed," Katrina said.

Asked whether she felt the audience would accept her in the role of a typical girl-next-door from a rich family given her anglicised accent and her western looks which were all too visible in films like Sarkar' and, to some extent, also in Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya.

Katrina said, "Well, Sarkar happened two years ago. Since then, I have gained much confidence as an actor. And during this period, I have tried to master Hindi as best as I can. I have also worked hard on my accent."

After Humko Diwana Kar Gaye, Katrina will be seen in director Sohail Khan's next home-production Partner. A film directed by David Dhawan with Govinda as co-star. There is director Ram Gopal Varma's Sholay, a remake of 70s popular flick in which she plays Jaya Bachchan's role of Radha.

Also on the anvil is Anil Sharma's Apne which, for the first time, stars the three Deols, Dharmendra, Sunny and Bobby all together. In the line-up again is Abbas Mastan’s next venture and comedy by Anees Bazmee (of No Entry fame).