Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif (left), with Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma Facebook/JabTakHaiJaan

British-born model turned Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif is bidding to become the toast of the Indian box office with the release of Jab Tak Hai Jaan, the final film by director Yash Chopra, who died in October, aged 80.

The 28-year-old Kaif shares the screen with 47-year-old Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) and Anushka Sharma. This is the first time Kaif has acted with SRK, since her Bollywood debut in 2003. Nevertheless, industry insiders have confirmed the duo have already become a hit with their respective fans.

"With Jab Tak Hai Jaan (JTHJ) coming up, Shah Rukh and Katrina are the hottest new on-screen pair. That's why every organiser - for popular shows including Screen, Apsara, IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) and Stardust - has approached them. They want them to do an act together on stage, which will no doubt get a lot of TV viewership. The deals haven't been finalised yet, as it all depends on their availability and fee," an insider was told the Hindustan Times.

Kaif was born in Hong Kong to an Indian father and English mother, in 1984. She was voted the world's sexiest woman by FHM India earlier this year, for the second time in a row. Meanwhile, Sharma, 24, actually made her Bollywood debut alongside SRK (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in 2008) and although there is a significant age difference, the two are believed to share excellent on-screen chemistry.

The film is to release in theatres on 13 November, the date of Diwali - the Hindu festival of lights - with a soundtrack composed by Academy Award-winning AR Rahman.

The tragic aspect of the release is this is the last film ever made by Chopra. And, appropriately enough, the veteran director's last words to Indian media were about his film.

"In all these years, I have got so much love from people that now I want to give it all back. I want to help a lot of youngsters who want to become actors, directors and technicians," he was quoted, "After Veer Zaara, I wanted to make a different and touching film. That is when I told my son Aditya that I want to direct a film. Jab Tak Hai Jaan is his gift to me."