About Kareena Kapoor
Kapoor was initially scheduled to make her debut in
Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000), opposite
the director's son Hrithik Roshan.[12] However, several
days into the filming, she abandoned the project and
later explained that "it was probably destined that I
was not to be in the film. After all, it was a launch
for his son. The whole focus was on the boy. Now I am
glad I did not do the movie."[14]
Kapoor made her
debut later that year in J.P. Dutta's war drama
Refugee. Set during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971, the
film centers on a man known simply as "Refugee"
(portrayed by debutant Abhishek Bachchan). He illegally
transports civilians back and forth across the
Indo-Pakistani border. Kapoor portrayed Naaz, a
Bangladeshi girl who falls in love with Refugee while
illegally migrating to Pakistan. Her debut performance
was acclaimed by critics; Taran Adarsh of indiaFM
wrote: "Kareena Kapoor has a magnetic personality,
which will make the viewer fall in love with her
instantly. What surprises you is the ease with which
she emotes the most difficult of scenes […] There's
no denying the fact that she is a natural performer who
is very camera friendly."[20] Refugee was the
fifth-highest grossing film in India in 2000, and
Kapoor's performance earned her the Filmfare Best
Female Debut Award.[21]
Kapoor's first role in 2001
was in the romantic drama Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, which
became one of the highest earners of the year.[22] A
review in The Hindu noted that, "Kareena is definitely
the actress to watch out for, if her debut with
Abhishek in Refugee and now Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai are
any indication […] Kareena shines throughout the
flick, with the grace of a seasoned sizzler
already."[23] She next starred in Subhash Ghai's family
drama Yaadein alongside Jackie Shroff and Hrithik
Roshan. The drama centers on the character of Raj Singh
Puri, a middle-class man and his daughters' marriages.
Kapoor played the part of the youngest daughter and
Roshan's love interest, Isha Singh Puri. Upon release,
the film met with mixed critical reaction and garnered
poor box office returns.[22][24] Kapoor then appeared
in the Abbas-Mustan thriller Ajnabee. The film, based
on Consenting Adults (1992),[25] was a moderate box
office success in India.[22]
Later in the year, she
starred in Santosh Sivan's period epic Asoka, a partly
fictionalized account of the life of Ashoka the Great.
The film had a strong release in the United Kingdom and
North America. It was also screened at the Venice Film
Festival and the 2001 Toronto International Film
Festival.[26][27] Featured opposite Shahrukh Khan who
played Ashoka, Kapoor portrayed the character of
Kaurwaki, a princess of Kalinga with whom Ashoka falls
in love. While the film received generally positive
reviews, Kapoor's performance received a mixed reaction
from some critics. Rediff.com concluded that, "while a
large portion of the first half is focused on the
emerging romance between the runaway prince and herself
and to their credit they do manage to whip up some
on-screen chemistry, I am still unsure as to her acting
abilities".[28] Nonetheless, her performance was
praised by some critics and earned her a first
nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare
Awards.
Kapoor's final release of 2001 was the drama
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, directed by Karan Johar. The
film, which featured an ensemble cast of Amitabh
Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and
Hrithik Roshan, emerged as the second-highest-grossing
film of the year in India and Kapoor's biggest
commercial success, with a domestic total of Rs 490
million (US$ 10.93 million).[22] It also performed well
internationally and became India's fourth biggest
Bollywood success of all time in the overseas market,
earning over Rs 350 million (US$ 7.81 million).[4] Her
performance as "Poo" was well-received by critics and
earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress
nomination.[29]
During 2002 and 2003, Kapoor
experienced a slump in her career. She featured in six
films — Mujhse Dosti Karoge!, Jeena Sirf Merre Liye,
Talaash: The Hunt Begins..., Khushi, Main Prem Ki
Diwani Hoon, and the four-hour war epic LOC Kargil —
all of which proved critically and commercially
unsuccessful in India.[30][31] Kapoor's performances
were often identified by many critics as unoriginal and
repetitive, with little inspiration.[32][33] They
expressed concern that she was becoming typecast but
these negative reviews were fundamental in motivating
her to improve her integrity as an actress in
subsequent years by accepting more demanding roles.
Biography
Date of Birth
21st Sep 1980
Birth Place
Bombay, Maharashtra
Interviews
Filimography
Profession
Film Actress
