Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor Khan (pronounced [kəˈriːna kəˈpuːr]; née Kapoor; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi films. She is the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and the younger sister of actress Karisma Kapoor. Noted for playing a variety of characters in a range of film genres—from romantic comedies to crime dramas—Kapoor is the recipient of several awards, including six Filmfare Awards, and is one of Bollywood's most popular and highest-paid actresses.[1]

After making her acting debut in the 2000 war film Refugee, Kapoor established herself with roles in the historical drama Aśoka and the melodrama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (both 2001). This initial success was followed by a series of commercial failures and repetitive roles, which garnered her negative reviews. The year 2004 marked a turning point for Kapoor when she played against type in the role of a sex worker in the drama Chameli. She subsequently earned critical recognition for her portrayal of a riot victim in the 2004 drama Dev and a character based on William Shakespeare's heroine Desdemona in the 2006 crime film Omkara. Further praise came for her performances in the romantic comedy Jab We Met (2007), the thrillers Kurbaan (2009) and Talaash: The Answer Lies Within (2012), and the dramas We Are Family (2010), Heroine (2012) and Udta Punjab (2016). Her highest-grossing releases include the action film Singham Returns (2014), the comedy Good Newwz (2019), and the dramas 3 Idiots (2009), Bodyguard (2011) and Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015).

Married to actor Saif Ali Khan, with whom she has two sons, Kapoor's off-screen life is the subject of widespread coverage in India. She has a reputation for being outspoken and assertive, and is recognised for her contributions to the film industry through her fashion style and film roles. In addition to film acting, Kapoor participates in stage shows, hosts a radio show and has contributed as a co-writer to four books among them two are autobiographical memoir and two are nutrition guides. She has started her own line of clothing and cosmetics for women, and has worked with UNICEF since 2014 to advocate for the education of girls and an increase in quality based education in India.

Kareena and Karisma Kapoor with their mother Babita

Pictured with mother Babita (left) and sister Karisma. In an interview with journalist Vir Sanghvi, Kapoor stated that growing up with the two of them helped her become strong and independent.[2]

Born on 21 September 1980 in Bombay (now Mumbai),[1] Kapoor (often informally referred to as 'Bebo')[3] is the younger daughter of Randhir Kapoor and Babita (née Shivdasani);[4] her elder sister Karisma is also an actress. She is the paternal granddaughter of actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor, maternal granddaughter of actor Hari Shivdasani, and great-granddaughter of filmmaker Prithviraj Kapoor. The actor Rishi Kapoor is her uncle, and his son, actor Ranbir Kapoor, is her cousin. According to Kapoor, the name "Kareena" was derived from the book Anna Karenina, which her mother read while she was pregnant with her.[5] She is of Punjabi Hindu descent on her father's side,[6] and on her mother's side she is of Sindhi Hindu and British descent.[7][8]

Kapoor attended Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai, followed by Welham Girls' School in Dehradun.[9] She attended the institution primarily to satisfy her mother, though later admitted to liking the experience.[2] According to Kapoor, she wasn't inclined towards academics though received good grades in all her classes except mathematics.[2] Upon graduating from Welham, she returned to Mumbai and studied commerce for two years at Mithibai College.[9] Kapoor then registered for a three-month summer course in microcomputers at Harvard Summer School in the United States.[9] She later developed an interest in law, and enrolled at the Government Law College, Mumbai; during this period, she developed a long-lasting passion for reading.[9] However, after completing her first year, she decided to pursue her interest in acting, though she later regretted not having completed her education.[13][14] She began training at an acting institute in Mumbai mentored by Kishore Namit Kapoor, a member of the Film and Television Institute of India ..

Career beginnings, breakthrough and setback (2000–2003)

While training at the institute, Kapoor was cast as the lead in Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) opposite his son, Hrithik Roshan.[9] Several days into the filming, however, she abandoned the project; Kapoor later explained that she had benefited by not doing the film since more prominence was given to the director's son.[9] She debuted later that year alongside Abhishek Bachchan in J. P. Dutta's war drama Refugee. Set during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971, Kapoor was introduced as Naaz, a Bangladeshi girl with whom Bachchan's character falls in love. Dutta cast her for the combination of youthfulness and innocence he found in her, and Kapoor considered their collaboration to be an important learning experience that helped her personally and professionally.[9][16] Writing for the entertainment portal Bollywood Hungama, critic Taran Adarsh described Kapoor as "a natural performer" and noted "the ease with which she emotes the most difficult of scenes",[17] and India Today reported that she belonged to a new breed of Hindi film actors that breaks away from character stereotypes.[18] Refugee was a moderate box-office success in India and Kapoor's performance earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.[19][20]

Kareena Kapoor smiling away from the camera

Kapoor at the book launch of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... in 2001. Bollywood Hungama reported that the success of the film proved a breakthrough for her.[21]

For her second release, Kapoor was paired opposite Tusshar Kapoor in Satish Kaushik's box-office hit Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai (2001).[19] A review in The Hindu noted that based on her first two films, she was "definitely the actress to watch out for".[22] She next starred alongside Jackie Shroff and Hrithik Roshan in Subhash Ghai's flop Yaadein, followed by Abbas-Mustan's moderately successful thriller Ajnabee, co-starring Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol and Bipasha Basu.[19] Later that year, she appeared in Santosh Sivan's period epic Aśoka, a partly fictionalised account of the life of the Indian emperor of the same name. Featured opposite Shah Rukh Khan, Kapoor found herself challenged playing the complex personality of her character Kaurwaki (a Kalingan princess) with whom Ashoka falls in love.[23] Aśoka was screened at the Venice and 2001 Toronto International Film Festivals,[24] and received generally positive reviews internationally but failed to do well in India, which was attributed by critics to the way Ashoka was portrayed.[25] Jeff Vice of The Deseret News described Kapoor as "riveting" and commended her screen presence.[26] Rediff.com, however, was more critical concluding that her presence in the film was primarily used for aesthetic purposes.[27] At the 47th Filmfare Awards, Aśoka was nominated for five awards including a Best Actress nomination for Kapoor.[20]

A key point in Kapoor's career came when she was cast by Karan Johar as Pooja ("Poo", a good-natured, superficial girl) in the 2001 melodrama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... alongside an ensemble cast. She found little resemblance between herself and her "over-the-top" character, and modeled Poo's personality on that of Johar.[28] Filming the big-budget production was a new experience for Kapoor, and she recalls it fondly: "[I]t was great fun doing [the film and] we had a blast. [W]orking with the unit and the six mega star set was a dream come true."[29] Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... was an immensely popular release, finishing as India's second highest-grossing film of the year and Kapoor's highest-grossing film to that point.[30] It also became one of the biggest Bollywood success of all time in the overseas market, earning over ₹1 billion (US$14 million) worldwide.[31] Taran Adarsh described Kapoor as "one of the main highlights of the film",[32] and she received her second Filmfare nomination for the role—her first for Best Supporting Actress—as well as nominations at the International Indian Academy (IIFA) and Screen Awards.[20]