AS ONE of the top Bollywood actresses, Katrina Kaif is no stranger to Indians.
But what about outside of India?
The woman, who may be the Indian film industry's next big export, has now grabbed global eyeballs.
Katrina recently debuted at No 48 on US-based men's website AskMen's annual Top 99 Most Desirable Women list.
As expected, the list is dominated by Western models and actresses, but the actress is the highest-ranked Asian in the list.
Fellow Bollywooder Aishwarya Rai is No 60 (she was No 27 last year), Lost actress Yunjin Kim is No 72 and Brit-Indian singer M.I.A. is at No 74.
More than 10 million readers took part in this annual online poll which is in its ninth year.
AskMen's readers, who are mostly men, were asked to rank women they thought had qualities of the ideal girlfriend or wife.
At first glance, it is surprising that Katrina made the list.
Unlike Aishwarya, who has done Hollywood films like Bride & Prejudice and Mistress Of Spices, Katrina's work has centred solely within India.
And no doubt, she has been reigning supreme there.
With an asking fee of Rs 35 million ($1.1m) per movie, the 25-year-old former model is currently the highest-paid actress in the Indian film industry, says entertainment website Masala.
Last year, she was FHM India's sexiest woman in the world.
And a survey by Bollywood magazine Filmfare also named her the industry's hottest pin-up girl last year.
To rub salt into Aishwarya's wound, Katrina replaced her as the ambassador of leading Indian jewellery brand Nakshatra earlier this year.
But Katrina's reach is extending beyond her motherland.
She was the most searched Bollywood name and most downloaded Bollywood actress on the Internet last year, says a Google survey.
In the UK, where there is a sizeable Indian migrant population, she was voted Sexiest Asian Woman in a poll by UK magazine Easter Eye last year.
She also topped UK entertainment magazine Screen Weekly's poll as the changing face of Bollywood last year.
Furthermore, Katrina's latest box-office hit, last year's Singh Is King, was the second top-grossing Bollywood film last year, earning Rs 595 million worldwide, reported entertainment website Bollywood Mantra.
It was the eighth top earning movie in the UK, raking in £pounds;493,281 ($1.1m) in its opening weekend.
And in the US and Canada, it grossed US$1.2m ($1.8m) in its opening weekend - a feat for a foreign-made film - reported entertainment website IndiaTimes.
Why she's made it big
What do Singaporean Bollywood fans think?
Polytechnic student Salina Mohd, 18, attributes it to Katrina's mixed background.
Although her mother is British and her father is Indian, Katrina was born in Hong Kong but raised in Hawaii.
Miss Salina also believes Katrina became well-known because of her on-off relationship with actor Salman Khan.
Reports of Salman hitting Katrina surfaced in February last year.
Earlier this month, the couple who have been together since 2005 were rumoured to have gotten married, according to entertainment website Rediff. But Katrina has since denied this.
But conference organiser Vijay Kalarani, 28, thinks that many other Bollywood actresses would make better successors to Aishwarya outside of India.
He said: 'She definitely looks exotic, and she has a nice smile. But I wouldn't say that she's the prettiest.
'There are better-looking actresses like Rani Mukherjee or Sushmita Sen, who is considered the Angelina Jolie of Bollywood. Deepika Padukone is also popular.'
The AskMen survey is only the beginning.
It remains to be seen if Katrina can cross over into the Western market the way Aishwarya tried and failed - all her Hollywood movies have bombed so far.
But she could get her break soon. Bollywood director Firoz Nadiadwala wants to cast her in his upcoming project, Jewel Of India.
He will be collaborating with Rob Cohen, the producer behind the Fast And Furious franchise, for this film. Mr Nadiadwala has also indicated he hopes Hollywood bigwigs like Al Pacino, Robert de Niro, Eva Mendes and Cameron Diaz will join his film.
As for Katrina herself, it doesn't matter who finds her hot.
She told AskMen.com: 'It's not my style to either wear minimum clothes, to strip or to even be comfortable with a sex-symbol label.
'I just want to do good work instead of sporting such meaningless tags. Sex sells, but to a small extent, not always.'
This article was first published in The New Paper on Feb 9, 2009.
