MUMBAI: It must have taken some heart to do this... but for Katrina Kaif, it appears, family comes first over the big bucks her fast-rising status in Bollywood has to offer.

The story goes that the actress, whose latest film Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani has got her closer to Kareena Kapoor in the box office stakes, turned down a lucrative offer of Rs 2.5 crore by a five-star hotel in Juhu to be its New Year’s eve star.

This, by far, is the biggest sum ever offered to any Bollywood personality for a New Year’s eve appearance. But Katrina could not be bothered. Apparently, she said she was unavailable because she intends to spend the Christmas and New Year vacation in London with her family.

No doubt, the actress must have taken the difficult decision after much deliberation and weighing the pros and cons of the situation. Katrina is remaining tight-lipped because she doesn’t want the hotel to suffer when it approaches another actress to do the same job, but a close friend of the actress said she was sorely tempted to take up the offer at one stage.

When asked about her plans for December 31, Katrina said guardedly, “I’m heading to London to bring in Christmas and New Year with my mother, sisters and brothers. It’s an annual family ritual. And I wouldn’t like to break it for any amount of money in the world.”