Katrina Kaif’s father was ‘not an influence, not a part of family’, she learnt to be ‘completely non-judgemental’ from mother: ‘I have never met him since’
Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal welcomed their baby boy on Friday, November 7. Katrina and Vicky shared the joyous news on social media, where they were bombarded with congratulatory messages. The couple tied the knot in 2021 after years of dating each other, and soon became one of the most loved couples in Bollywood.
While Vicky grew up in Mumbai with his action director father Sham Kaushal and homemaker mother Veena Kaushal, Katrina had an unconventional childhood. She grew up with single mother Suzanne Turquotte, who worked as a lawyer, but then got involved with international charity work. Her work required her to travel across many continents, and so, Katrina, along with her seven siblings travelled the world with her. Amid all this, her father was absent as he left the family when Katrina was quite young.
In a 2008 interview with Shoma Chaudhury, Katrina said that her father was not an influence in her life. “My father is not an influence, he was not part of our family; my parents separated when I was very young and I have never met him since,” she said, when asked about her early years. Talking about her mother, she said, “The biggest thing I learnt from her is to be completely non-judgemental.”
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During these years, Katrina was in a relationship with Salman Khan, but until then, she had never spoken about it openly. Back then, at the age of 25, Katrina felt that the absence of a father figure drew her to older men. Salman was 43 at the time. “I am sure if some psychoanalyst lay me on a couch and probed hard and long, they could prove I was sad, but actually, at most, the lack of a father means I am drawn to older men, men who have lived life and have some experience,” she said. However, a few years later, Salman and Katrina broke up. She was then in a relationship with Ranbir Kapoor, which also lasted for around six years. She is now married to Vicky, who is five years younger than her.
In the same chat, Katrina spoke more about her childhood as a globetrotter. As per the interview, she lived in Hong Kong, Japan, China, Ukraine, Romania, France, USA, Poland, Belgium, Austria, South Africa, England, and was homeschooled for the most part. She shared that her childhood prepared her for every kind of situation. “We never lived anywhere for more than two years and we did not have a great deal of stability, or physical security and comfort, but we led a very culturally diverse life. That’s an unbeatable way to be prepared — I don’t think you can’t get a better education than that. I have seen so much and lived in so many cultures, nothing shocks me. You can throw me anywhere and I will adapt,” she said.
Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif welcomed their baby boy. (Photo: Katrina Kaif/Instagram)
But, when asked about specific details about her childhood, Katrina just said, “I’ll have to ask my sister,” she says. “All I can immediately remember is being snowed in for months in Japan, and being terribly sea-sick on a long ship-ride to Europe.”
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Katrina has been a part of Indian films since 2003. She has been working in movies for over 22 years now and is most notably known for her work in films like Namastey London, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Tiger series among many others. She was last seen in Sriram Raghavan’s 2024 film Merry Christmas.
