I am the face of Barbie, not Ash: Katrina Kaif

It's official: Katrina Kaif is the new Barbie girl. Rubbishing the buzz that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was to be the new face of the Barbie doll, the new super-confident Katrina Kaif quips, "As far as I know, Aishwarya was never under consideration. It was me. So I don't know where these stories came from."

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Katrina's face will now adorn those of Barbie dolls worldwide. And the actress is for once openly flattered.
"I'd call it a fun honour.

KAT CALL: Katrina Kaif in a pink dress like the one designed for the Katrina Barbie at the Fashion Week yesterday.
To have your face on dolls that you've played with from childhood is quite flattering. We've been in negotiations for nearly six months. It finally came together for the 50th year celebration of Barbie," she reveals.

Yesterday, at the Fashion Week, Katrina walked the ramp in a small pink dress like the one designed for the Katrina Barbie. Says Katrina, "Contrary to what people believe, my Barbie is not an Indian counterpart of the international brand.

It's an honour because I'm the first Indian to be the face of Barbie. I think in many ways it's an endorsement of how kids connect with me.

You can't be the face of an international doll unless kids like you. The thought that kids like me enough to make me a part of their doll collection is very gratifying."

With the Barbie image coming to the surface again, Katrina is somewhat worried about the bubbly-girl image that she'd like to change.

"So much for my attempts to move to a more mature level as an actor," laughs the actress. "I guess Prakash Jha's Rajneeti will take care of that. But I'm very happy being the clean healthy Barbie."

The doll's look and dress were planned in collaboration with Kat. "It is quite something, if you think about it. But I'd rather not. I don't want my head to get swollen.

For me it's enough that I was chosen because I reflect a certain bubbly wholesome personality, quite contrary to the sexy tag that I get in net polls and which I'm not very comfortable with," she says. The Katrina Barbie will be launched in September.

The other Barbies

Katrina Kaif will become the first Indian and join the likes of Beyonce Knowles, Elizabeth Taylor and Diana Ross, who have all had their own limited edition celebrity Barbies