While Katrina Kaif’s life today is synonymous with Bollywood stardom, luxury and a successful business, her mother’s world could not be more different. After Katrina rose to fame following her 2003 debut and a string of successful films including Namastey London, Partner, Welcome and Singh Is Kinng, her mother chose to move away from the glamour and settle in rural Tamil Nadu, dedicating her life to charity, education and helping children from disadvantaged communities. She lives there with limited access to electricity and zero luxury.

It all began in 2008

It all started when in 2008, Katrina’s mother, who was based in London, relocated to Tamil Nadu, where she founded the NGO Relief Projects India with the aim of helping children from rural communities build brighter futures.

What began as a small network of free evening tuition centres for children attending government schools eventually grew into a community development organisation working across rural Tamil Nadu. The organisation later expanded into health and protection programmes, and in 2015, Suzanne founded Mountain View School.

 

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What started as a small nursery for fewer than 30 children between the ages of three and five, primarily from economically disadvantaged nearby villages, eventually grew into a recognised nursery and primary school. Today, the school has more than 300 students.

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‘My mom lives a very tough life’

Speaking about her mother, who raised eight children on her own while continuously being involved in charity work, Katrina told ABP around a decade ago, “My mom stays in Madurai where she has started a school for children. She is a teacher. She teaches there. And she is happy. It is because of her charities and blessings that I have reached these heights.”

 

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She added, “It is not easy to live there. They don’t have access to electricity. It is available for 12 hours. Sometimes, when I want to FaceTime my mother, I cannot, because there is no electricity or sometimes even internet. So we have a normal call.”

However, this is not Suzzane’s first charity work. This has been her way of life forever.

Speaking to Colors Cineplex around seven years ago, Katrina opened up about her childhood and how her mother’s work had influenced her and her siblings.

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“The countries that I grew up in when I was very young… they were always countries which had a lot of people who lived below the poverty line like we do here. It is something I have always been exposed to because my mom has done charity work. We didn’t grow up in a life of privilege or luxury. We had a very frugal and basic childhood. That’s the life I come from. I came from starting out, working in the industry and having absolutely no money. Needing to work to be successful and if I wouldn’t have been successful then I would have had to look for another job where I could have security.”

 

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She added, “She has this school in Madurai. This is a school she built from scratch. I think we have about 250 kids there. She teaches at the school. She has made curriculum, she trains the teachers there.”

Speaking about the challenges her mother faces while living there, Katrina said, “A person who lives in a village where there are hours in a day when there is no electricity there. It’s incredibly hot and because you don’t have electricity, so the ACs are not there. She lives in this condition and she has always done because she enjoys helping people. It’s a tough life. It takes a different kind of person. I don’t know if I could do that. My mom has been there for more than 15 years I think.”

Katrina makes secret donations for the underprivileged kids

To support the school, Katrina contributes a portion of her film earnings as well as money earned through reality shows.

A source told Mid-Day, “Katrina loves the work her mother is doing and posts about it on social media sometimes. However, she doesn’t like to bring her contributions to attention. Since she is busy with her film commitments and hence cannot always visit the place, she donates money.”

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Katrina has also openly appealed for donations through her social media handles.

Back in 2012, while speaking about her mother’s plans to start a school, Katrina had expressed her hope that Salman Khan’s Being Human Foundation could help fund the project.

Speaking to , she said, “I’m happy that my mom is so involved (in education and charity). Now, she’s building a school since the children (from the orphanage) are growing up. She’s bought a property close to Mercy Home. Hopefully, Being Human can help fund the school for us.”

According to the official website of Relief Projects India, the NGO has since expanded its community outreach across 25 villages. Its programmes now include adolescent development, women’s empowerment, life-skills training, career guidance and cervical cancer screening.

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Through all these years, Katrina’s mother has remained closely involved with the organisation, continuing to live a simple life while working with rural communities. Katrina, meanwhile, has supported the work financially through her earnings and has occasionally used her public platform to seek donations for the cause.

Katrina Kaif’s mother, Suzanne Turquotte, was married to Mohammed Kaif, but the couple separated when Katrina was still a young girl. Following their separation, Suzanne raised all eight of her children as a single mother.