Three cheers to Katrina Kaif

The hunt for a leading lady for Dhoom: 3 is over! Katrina Kaif will sizzle in the third instalment of the action-adventure series, which features Aamir Khan as the anti-hero.

Yash Raj Films (YRF) had been on the lookout for a fresh, talented face for the role, which was essayed by Esha Deol and Aishwarya Rai, in Dhoom and Dhoom: 2, respectively.

"After almost a year of searching for a new face for Dhoom: 3, we were still unable to find the perfect debutante to play the lead role. We even reached out to international talent but were still unable to find someone who stood out," said director Vijay Krishna Acharya aka Victor.

The choice was made jointly by Victor and producer Aditya Chopra.

The shooting for the action-packed movie will begin towards the end of this year. Dhoom: 3 is slated for a 2012 Christmas release.