Kareena Kapoor often informally referred to as Bebo, is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood films. Born into a film family where both her parents, Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and her elder sister Karisma were actors, Kapoor faced the media spotlight from a very young age. However, she did not make her acting debut until the 2000 film Refugee, which earned her the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. Her melodrama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham became India's highest grossing film in the overseas market in 2001 and is her biggest commercial success to date.
After receiving negative reviews for a series of repetitive roles between 2002 and 2003, Kapoor accepted more demanding roles to avoid being typecast, and consequently was recognized by critics for displaying greater versatility between 2004 and 2006. Her portrayal of a sex worker in Chameli (2004) proved to be the turning point in her career and garnered her the Filmfare Special Performance Award. She later received
two Critics Awards for Best Actress at the Filmfare ceremony for her performances in the critically acclaimed Dev (2004) and Omkara (2006).
In 2007, Kapoor earned a Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in the Imtiaz Ali directed romantic comedy film, Jab We Met. Although the box office earnings of her films have varied considerably, Kapoor has established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in the Hindi film industry. Kapoor's off-screen life is subject to wide media coverage in India with frequent press coverage of her and boyfriend, actor Saif Ali Khan and speculation of a possible marriage.
Early life and family
See also: Kapoor family
Born in Mumbai, India into the Kapoor film family of Punjabi Khatri origin, Kapoor is the youngest daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita (née
Shivdasani). She is the granddaughter of actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor, great-granddaughter of Prithviraj Kapoor, sister of actress Karisma Kapoor and niece of actor Rishi Kapoor. According to Kapoor, the name "Kareena" was
derived from the book Anna Karenina, which her mother read while she was pregnant with her. She is also often informally referred to as Bebo.
As children, the Kapoor sisters dreamed of becoming actresses. Kapoor was particularly inspired by the Bollywood actresses Nargis and Meena Kumari. However, despite her family background, her father disapproved of women acting because he believed it to be incompatible with their duty to the family. This led to conflict between her parents, and Kapoor's mother ultimately left her father. Kapoor was raised in Lokhandwala by her mother who worked severaljobs to support her daughters until Karisma debuted as an actress in 1991.
Kapoor attended Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai before progressing to
Welham Girls Boarding School in Dehradun. She studied commerce for two years at the Mithibai College in Vile Parle, Mumbai. However, she disliked her term there and studied only because she was close to her family. Kapoor then registered for a three-month summer course in microcomputers at Harvard University in the United States. She later developed an interest in law and enrolled at the Government Law College in Churchgate. However, after completing one year at Churchgate, Kapoor returned to her initial plan to become an actress and began training at the Kishore Namit Kapoor's Acting Institute.
Career
Debut and breakthrough, 2000-2003
Kapoor was initially scheduled to make her debut in Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000), opposite the director's son Hrithik Roshan. 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."
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 (played by debutant Abhishek Bachchan) who illegally transports civilians back and forth across the Indo-Pakistani border. Kapoor played 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." Refugee was the fifth-highest grossing film in India in 2000, and Kapoor's performance earned her the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award.
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. 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." 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. Kapoor then appeared in the moderately successful Abbas-Mustan thriller Ajnabee.
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, and was screened at the Venice Film Festival and the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival. 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, "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". 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$ 10.44 million). It also did well internationally and became India's second biggest Bollywood success of all time in the overseas market, earning over Rs 350 million (US$ 7.46 million). Her performance as "Poo" was well received by critics, and earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination.
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. Kapoor's performances were often identified by many critics as unoriginal and
repetitive, with little inspiration. 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.
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