Katrina Kaif has worked with director Kabir Khan before in the blockbuster-hit movie, "Ek Tha Tiger", but this is not the reason behind her taking up his next directorial. Apparently, Katrina had a personal agenda behind signing up as the lead actress in "Phantom".

Katrina, who always liked guns, wanted to play a hardcore action-packed role and thus, "Phantom" was a dream project for her.

Though she has worked in action-romantic movies, including Salman Khan starrer "Ek Tha Tiger" and Shah Rukh Khan starrer "Jab Tak Hai Jaan", she was never featured in action scenes.

However, she landed her dream role in "Phantom". For her character of secret agent Nawaz Mistry, Katrina took shooting lessons at an Army Forward Post in Rajouri district. For months, she underwent cardio and weight training classes to build the stature and stamina demanded by her on-screen character.

"Phantom", which also stars Saif Ali Khan, is based on post-26/11 attacks in Mumbai and global terrorism. The film, which is an adaptation of author Hussain Zaidi's book Mumbai Avengers, will be released on 28 August.