Katrina Kaif is today firmly poised on the numero uno spot in Bollywood.

Katrina Kaif is today firmly poised on the numero uno spot in Bollywood. But there is something about her success story that defies logic.

She has got the beauty that ranks her among the Hindi film industry’s super divas right from Madhubala to Aishwarya Rai. Her angelic face, bright eyes, million-dollar smile complemented by an almost perfect figure make Katrina one of the best, if not the best, lookers in tinsel town. But Bollywood history is witness to the fact that it requires a combination of beauty and talent to hog the top spot.

Be it Madhubala, Waheeda Rahman , Rekha , Sridevi , Madhuri Dixit or Aishwarya Rai – none could strike fame by dint of their beauty alone. They all were and are terrific performers in their own right. Each one of them has won an award or more for their talent (and not just looks) at some point in their careers.

Only Katrina Kaif stands as an exception.

She began her career in 2003 in a super disaster film with an ironic title Boom , and for three years after that she did not dub any dialogues in her movies, be it Sarkar or Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya simply because she could not emote in Hindi, a language alien to her because of her British upbringing.

Despite her linguistic shortcoming, Katrina had no dearth of offers from Bollywood, and many believe it was the unflinching support – and possibly recommendation too – by Salman Khan that made her weather away the tough initial years in the industry.

And then, the phenomenon called Akshay Kumar happened.

It was Katrina’s second pairing with Akshay in Namastey London that turned the tide for her. Since then, every single film Katrina has been part of – Welcome , Apne , Partner , Race , Singh Is Kinng – has gone on to be a money-spinner at the turnstiles.

Belting out six back-to-back hits catapulted the Kaif babe to the coveted top position in Bollywood and got her big projects with biggest production houses.

But the moot question is -- in how many films did she give a performance worth an award or even applause?

A head-turner Katrina undoubtedly is. And perhaps it is her mesmeric beauty that compensates for her other major shortcoming. Whatever the case, the fact remains that Katrina is perhaps the only actress to have reached such incredible heights without ever winning over the critics of her acting (or the lack of it).

She may not have logic on her side. But she sure has luck.