Though her debut film Boom was a disaster, Katrina made a positive impact with her gorgeous looks and sexy frame.The commercials she appeared in only enhanced the positive impact. Even as Katrina went about signing on modeling assignments, she did a couple of Telugu films, Malliswari and Allari Pidugu at a huge fee. Apparently, she became the highest paid debutant ever in a Telugu film. After a spell of doubts over her anglicized Hindi diction, producers in Mumbai too came forward to sign her on. First to come her way was David Dhawan's Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2005) opposite Salman Khan, and a cameo in Ram Gopal Varma’s Amitabh Bachchan-starrer, Sarkaar. But she came into her own in Hum Ko Deewana Kar Gaye (2006) opposite Akshay Kumar, with whom she seems to share an excellent on-screen chemistry. The two have become a sought-after romantic pair. Her performance in Hum Ko Deewana Kar Gaye won her rave notices. In 2006 she also acted in a Malayalam film, Balram Vs Taradas, opposite superstar Mammootty.

She began 2007 with a bang, giving an impressive performance in an extended role in Namastey London, opposite Akshay Kumar. In Namastey London, she spoke her lines for the first time after studiously learning the right Hindi diction. She had two more hits during the year, Apne with the Deols and Partner with Govinda and Salman. Katrina ended 2007 with the hugely successful Welcome (once again opposite Akshay Kumar), to be ranked among the most successful stars of the year. And she greeted 2008 with a Hello, opposite Salman Khan and Sharman Joshi. She has also signed another Tamil film Bheema opposite Vikram. She is among the busiest Bollywood stars currently.