after katrina ,will salman help her sister?

• Sneha May Francis

He's known as the man with the Midas touch, miraculously altering the fate of any actor from doom to superstardom.

From his "ex-lover" Katrina Kaif to little-known South Indian star Asin, Salman Khan has been instrumental in taking newcomers under his wing and transforming them into big stars.

And, now with Katrina's kid sister Isabelle gearing up for the spotlight, opposite veteran Anil Kapoor's son Harshvardhan for a crossover project, we are certain that Salman is gearing to play godfather.

Considering he did it for her big sister, he'd do it again for Isabelle.

When Katrina and Salman had parted ways, industry insiders had speculated that Katrina would step in as producer and use her Bollywood clout to help her sister.

There were even talks of a big budgeted movie directed by Ayan Mukerjee, but now that she has reconnected with Salman post 'Ek Tha Tiger', it does appear that he will play a crucial role in Isabelle's Bollywood career.

With the movie industry not favourable to newcomers, Katrina will surely ensure that Isabelle gets the "Khan" backing that she had once enjoyed.

Initially there were reports of Isabelle kick-starting her career by being a part of the Indian reality show 'Big Boss4', but that never materialized with industry insiders claiming Salman was reluctant to put her through the grueling test.

Apart from an international degree in acting, Isabelle has also had her share of ill-fortune in B-town, with an MMS scandal surrounding her. It was, however, cleared after big sister stepped in to prove the video was fabricated.

Controversy isn't new to the Kaif household, with Katrina's debut in the raunchy 'Boom' being rebuked by critics and the audience. She was even shunted to do obscure South Indian movies.

It was only until Salman stepped into her life, and movies with David Dhawan's 'Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya' in 2005, that Katrina started making giant leaps in her career.

From then on, she has made the right movie choices with back-to-back box-office hits, pitching her in the top league today. "Had it not been for Salman Khan, she would not have made it in Bollywood," reveals a source.

"It's evident that the tag of being Salman Khan's girlfriend helped her in bagging films of top directors."

Although his influence is evident, Salman has never taken credit for it. "Katrina is what she is because of her hard work and I don't feel I have contributed to her success," he had told the Indian media.

From dictating what dress to wear, to what movies to sign, Salman still controls her movie choices. "I don't want her to start doing heroine-oriented roles just yet. No point doing it just for the sake of it," he insists, during a media interview.

"She is making the right choices now. She can take on heroine-oriented roles later in her career, when the roles have some meaning," he adds.

Looking at how Salman has converted Katrina into an overnight success, it's evident that Isabelle will only stand to benefit from this legendary 'Khan' connection.