Written By: Priyanka Khanna
Styled by: Anaita Shroff Adajania

Right from the start, Katrina Kaif has understood the power of makeover. From aspiring model to Vogue cover girl—seen here in summer's sultry blacks—she's come a long way.

During her interview with Vogue India for the May issue, Katrina Kaif stated that she believes that she was never the 'next big thing', "It was more a sort of 'Okay, she was good in this film, she danced better in this film, and this was where she showed her range."

Born to an English mother and Kashmiri Indian father, she travelled around the world with her mother and seven siblings, before ending up in London. "I would look around a new city and crave a big house and financial security. Moving around and learning to deal with new people, it makes you internalise your thoughts."

Her close friend Ayan Mukerji, director of Wake Up Sid, says there's a contradiction to Kaif: "She has this energy. It makes her so lovable on celluloid, but I don't think many people see the real Katrina."

When Kaif first moved to India in the early 2000s, she got a few modelling jobs, made friends around the industry, and did the rounds. "I would go to the ad agencies and get called for auditions. Then she was offered a role by director Kaizad Gustad in the film ominously called Boom.

She recounts with disarming honesty: "Meghna Reddy was meant to do it and she backed out. I remember I called Farrokh [Chothia] and I said, 'Farrokh, I'm not really getting any work, and I don't have much to speak of'. I still remember, he took the name of a famous actress and said, Even this person had to get around for a few months before really getting work, so you have to be a little patient.

I mean, three months is not a lot'. That was his line, so I said okay."

The first real hit in her filmography was Namastey London in 2007, then Race and New York, all leading up to the big bang: Raajneeti.

She found redemption finally with Tees Maar Khan, and that national craze, 'Sheila Ki Jawani'. Kaif has never looked better. What worked for Kaif was her training with holistic fitness expert Yasmin Karachiwala, who stressed on functional training and Pilates.

"It was about being focused. In the past, I've always set targets, but this time, I stayed on track. Now, I'll eat a slice of pizza, but then I was on a diet for 12 days before I shot for the song. I was at the peak of my fitness, which is hard to maintain. It's hard work and it's tedious. In the future I could be heavier again, and I'm ok with that, "

At this point in the candid interview with Vogue India, she starts fading out. The exhaustion from her dance rehearsal is setting in.

Last question. What does she miss about her old life?

"Nothing. It was a different time. People have to remember that when they see changes in me. You have to grow up, you can't be stunted. But am I going in the right direction? That I can only hope."