MUMBAI: Bollywood Actress Katrina Kaif is now regarded as one of Bollywood’s most popular dance performers, but the actor once faced harsh criticism over her dancing skills early in her career.

Choreographer Bosco Martis recently recalled an incident from Kaif’s early days during a podcast featuring Bosco and Caesar, discussing her transformation as a dancer.

According to Bosco, another choreographer once criticized Kaif’s dancing and told her that she was a “zero” at dancing and should leave the field.

The criticism may have motivated Kaif to work harder and prove herself, Bosco said. Farah Khan, who was also part of the conversation, expressed surprise at the assessment, saying Kaif could not have been completely inexperienced. She estimated that Kaif’s dancing skills at the time were perhaps at a level of four or five out of 10.

Khan said the major turning point in Kaif’s dancing career came with “Sheila Ki Jawani,” the popular song from the 2010 film “Tees Maar Khan.” She said Kaif’s performance in the song showed a significant improvement, taking her dancing skills to what she described as a nine or 10.

Bosco also described “Sheila Ki Jawani” as a game changer for Kaif’s career. She later became known for her performances in songs such as “Chikni Chameli” and “Kala Chashma.”

Khan recalled choreographing Kaif in “Just Chill” from the 2005 film “Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?” and said she was not yet widely recognized as a dancer at that stage of her career.

Kaif has also spoken in the past about criticism of her dancing. She said there was a time when she began to believe she might never become a good dancer. Bosco, however, encouraged her, telling her that she could dance but needed to work harder on herself.

That encouragement reportedly helped change Kaif’s approach and motivated her to put in greater effort.

Bosco and Caesar later choreographed Kaif for “Touch Me” from the 2008 film “Race.” She went on to strengthen her reputation with performances in songs including “Kamli,” “Swag Se Swagat,” “Afghan Jalebi” and “Nachde Ne Saare.”

Kaif’s journey from being labeled a “zero” at dancing to becoming one of Bollywood’s prominent dance performers has since become an example of how determination and consistent effort can overcome early criticism.

Kaif was last seen on the big screen in the 2024 film “Merry Christmas,” alongside Vijay Sethupathi. She has remained away from major film releases since then and has focused on her family life.