At 24, Britain-born Katrina Kaif, who was initially written off by critics because of her strong foreign accent, has managed to carve quite a niche for herself in Bollywood in just five years.

Her recent birthday prompted a family get-together, with her mother and sisters coming to Mumbai to celebrate.

Kaif ventured into Hindi films from London in 2003 and struggled a lot mainly because of her accent and height. But last year she proved her mettle with four hits — Namastey London, Apne, Partner and Welcome. And she gave credit to her fans for her success this year with Race.

"I don’t think it’s a matter of where you place yourself. It’s a matter of how your fans feel about you and where the industry finds you. At this particular place I think I am lucky to be able to say that I do get offers for a lot of films," Kaif said.

Kaif is one of eight siblings, all girls. Her mother is British and her father is from Jammu and Kashmir.

The actress spent her formative years in Hawaii, where she started modelling, which she continued after moving to London. She then went to Mumbai to pursue a movie career.

All the while, the actress kept her focus intact. "I am pretty clear about what I want to do. I don’t want to go down the road doing serious cinema. I am happy doing commercial films. The fun films give the audience time to escape the monotony in everyday life," she said.

Now all eyes are set on her performances in the romantic comedy Singh Is King and Yuvraj, a musical extravaganza with real life beau Salman Khan. And she will soon be seen in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani with Ranbir Kapoor.