Journalism of Courage
As Kareena Kapoor Khan – one of the most established and successful actresses in the industry turns a year older, we go back in time, looking through her journey in Tinsel town, her achievements, her downfalls and her love stories.
Granddaughter of renowned actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor, Kareena is the daughter of Randhir and Babita Kapoor and younger sister of Karisma.
Kareena schooled at Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai, followed by Welham Girls' School in Dehradun. After that, she continued her studies at Mithibai College in Mumbai for two years, followed by which she applied for a three-month summer course in microcomputers at Harvard University in the United States. It is said she later developed an interest in law and enrolled at the Government Law College, Mumbai.
However, after her first year as a law student, Kareena decided to dropout of law studies and pursue a career in film. She enrolled at an acting institute in Mumbai mentored by Kishore Namit Kapoor.
Despite hailing from a family with a strong Bollywood connect, her father Randhir was against women entering the industry, which is believed to have led to conflicts between her parents and eventually they separated.
Kareena and her sister Karisma were brought up by their mother Babita, who took on several jobs to support the family, until Karisma made her Bollywood debut in 1991. Their parents however, reconciled in 2007. (Express archive photo)
During Kareena’s training at the acting institute, she was roped in to star in Rakesh Roshan’s ‘Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai’ (2000) opposite Hrithik Roshan. However, she abandoned the project, as she felt the film was very hero-centered.
She later made her debut in the same year in J. P. Dutta's ‘Refugee’ opposite Abhishek Bachchan which went on to become a moderate box-office success. Her performance as Naaz in the war film was greatly appreciated and earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
Following that, Kareena was seen in a number of films - ‘Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai’ (2001), Subhash Ghai’s ‘Yaadein’ along with Hrithik Roshan and Jackie Shroff. The film however tanked at the Box office. Later that year, she starred in ‘Asoka’ opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Though her portrayal as Kaurwaki—a Kalingan princess was received with mixed reviews from critics, Kareena got a Best Actress nomination.
Kareena then appeared in Karan Johar’s multi-starrer ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ opposite Hrithik Roshan (2001) which ended up becoming the country’s second highest-grossing film of the year and Kapoor's highest-grossing film to that point.
After working together in ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham’ and ‘Yaadein’, rumours of Hrithik and Kareena being more than just friends began doing the rounds. However, Hrithik ended up marrying his childhood sweetheart Sussanne Roshan.
After ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’, Kareena faced a slight slump in her career from 2002 – 2003, with films like ‘Mujhse Dosti Karoge!’, ‘Jeena Sirf Merre Liye’, ‘Talaash: The Hunt Begins...’, ‘Khushi, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon’, and ‘LOC Kargil’…all of which were unsuccessful at the Box Office.
In 2004, Kareena broke all barriers when she essayed the role of a young prostitute in Sudhir Mishra’s ‘Chameli’. Reportedly, Kareena refused the role initially, and it was only after Sudhir approached her for the second time that she agreed. ‘Chameli’ was received well by critics and earned Kareena a Special Performance Award.
Kareena next appeared in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Yuva’ along with Ajay Devgan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Rani Mukerji and Esha Deol. After which, she starred in Govind Nihalani's critically acclaimed film ‘Dev’ as a Muslim girl named Aaliya. The film revolved around the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat. Kareena’s performance was termed ‘first-rate’ by critics and she received the Critics Award for Best Actress and nominations for Best Actress at various award ceremonies.
Soon after wards, Kareena took on the role of a baddie for the first time in the thriller ‘Fida’ (2004), also starring her then boyfriend Shahid Kapoor. It was during the filming of ‘Fida’ that the duo started a romantic relationship. Though Kareena received positive reviews for her performance, the film was unsuccessful at the Box Office.
Initially, we hear there was no connection between Shahid and Kareena. They started off as friends and slowly their friendship blossomed into love. It was Kareena who took the first step and asked Shahid out. Gradually, they came out in the open about their relationship and were known to be very serious about one another. Kareena made several changes in her lifestyle to suit her beau, like switching to vegetarian and also taking a greater interest in spiritual beliefs.
Her next few releases, ‘Aitraaz’ (2004) and Priyadarshan’s comedy ‘Hulchul’ (2004) were both successful at the Box office. The following year, Kareena was seen in ‘Bewafaa’ (2005). Kareena’s performance was not well received and her next release, ‘Kyun Ki’ was also a Box office failure.
In 2006, Kareena starred in ’36 China Town’ followed by ‘Chup Chup Ke’, both of which were moderately successful.
Her next release, ‘Omkara’, the Hindi adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello by Vishal Bhardwaj was a grand success. The film was received positively by critics, and Kareena Kapoor's portrayal earned her a fourth Filmfare Award and first Screen Award.
After ‘Omkara’ the actress decided to take a break from acting. However, she returned to films with a bang in ‘Jab We Met’ (2007), a romantic comedy by Imtiaz Ali. She essayed the role of a vivacious Sikh girl opposite her then beau, Shahid Kapoor. The film was well received by critics and fans and became successful at the box office with gross earnings of INR302.5 million. Kareena also received several awards for her performance, including her second Screen Award. However, by the time ‘Jab We Met’ released, Shahid and Kareena had ended their relationship. Though many blame Kareena for breaking Shahid’s heart, some say it was the other way around.
With a heavy heart and wounds of her break-up still fresh, Kareena started shooting for Vijay Krishna Acharya's action-thriller ‘Tashan’ (2008) along with Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor and Akshay Kumar. It was during the shooting of this film, that Kareena started pouring her heart out to Saif who was already a good friend.
Eventually the duo started dating and made their relationship public. The film however, went on to become a critical and commercial failure.
Kareena next lent her voice for the character of Laila, the love interest of a street dog named Romeo, in the Yash Raj Films and Walt Disney Pictures animated film ‘Roadside Romeo’ (2008).
Later that same year she appeared in Rohit Shetty’s comedy ‘Golmaal Returns’, the sequel to ‘Golmaal: Fun Unlimited’ along with Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi and Tusshar Kapoor.
2009 was a big year for Kareena with films like ‘Kurbaan’ along with Saif Ali Khan and Vivek Oberoi and ‘3 Idiots’ along with Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi. The film received critical acclaim and emerged as the second-highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time. Kareena garnered immense praise for her spunky character in the film.
In 2010, Kareena appeared in romantic comedy ‘Milenge Milenge’, which was a dud at the Box Office. She was next seen in ‘We Are Family’, adapted from the 1998 Hollywood film ‘Stepmom’. However, this too didn’t do well at the Box office.
Her third release of the year ‘Golmaal 3’, a sequel to ‘Golmaal Returns’ received mixed reviews but emerged as the most successful entry in the Golmaal series, earning more than INR1 billion.
Kareena’s success in 2011 mounted even further, with ‘Bodyguard’ opposite Salman Khan and ‘Ra.One’ with Shah Rukh Khan. ‘Bodyguard’ became a financial success, with a domestic total of INR1409.5 million, making it the country’s highest-earning film of the year. ‘Ra.One’ garnered mixed reviews, however it went on to become one of the biggest earners of the year.
Kareena was next seen in ‘Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’ (2012) with Imran Khan. The film received positive reviews and was an economic success. But her next release, ‘Agent Vinod’ with beau Saif Ali Khan tanked at the Box Office.
The same year, she starred in Madhur Bhandarkar's ambitious ‘Heroine’. Initially, Bhandarkar had signed on Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to play the lead. However, due to her pregnancy, Aishwarya was replaced by Kareena. Kareena received Best Actress nominations at the annual Apsara, Filmfare, IIFA, Screen and Stardust Award ceremonies for her performance in Heroine, some of which say has been her best performance till date.
After the release of ‘Heroine’, Kareena married actor Saif Ali Khan on 16 October 2012. The wedding consisted of a five-day celebration period beginning with a pre-wedding bash at the Kapoor residence followed by a registered marriage. A reception was later held at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel in Mumbai and the Lutyens Bungalow Zone in Delhi.
Towards the end of 2012, Kareena starred alongside Aamir Khan and Rani Mukherjee in Reema Kagti’s ‘Talaash: The Answer Lies Within’. Kareena was praised for her role as the raw prostitute.
2013 saw Kareena in Prakash Jha’s political thriller, ‘Satyagraha’, where she played a reporter. The actress once again garnered immense praise for her performance.
Kareena's film ‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein’ opposite Imran Khan did not do well at the box office but her second film of the year 2014 – Singham Returns was a smashing hit. Bebo teamed up with Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty for Singham Returns.
Earlier this year, Kareena reunited with her ‘Bodyguard’co-star Salman Khan for Kabir Khan’s directorial venture, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, which went on to become a massive commercial as well as critical success. Starring Kareena in the role of a teacher and Salman’s ladylove, the film told the tale of a Pakistani girl who wanders into India by mistake. Delving on the topic of Indo-Pak relations, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ touched many hearts and broke many records, becoming the second highest grossing Bollywood film in India and overseas markets.
Kareena Kapoor Khan maybe turning a year older, but the actress has little plans to slow down. She is neck deep busy with work for her forthcoming projects one of which is Abhishek Chaubey’s ‘Udta Punjab’, which also stars former flame Shahid Kapoor along with Alia Bhatt. Though fans are eager to see Shahid and Kareena reunite onscreen, truth is the actor are not paired opposite each other. Kareena will be seen with Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh.
Another one of Kareena’s upcoming films is R. Balki’s ‘Ki and Ka’ opposite Arjun Kapoor. This is the first time that the duo will be seen romancing each other and while Kareena plays a married career oriented woman, Arjun will be seen as the supportive house husband. The film will explore the concept of gender equality in society and fans are eager to see Kareena in this one.
