Photos of Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor Khan

Kareena Kapoor was born on 21 September 1980 , also known as Kareena Kapoor Khan, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. She is the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and the younger sister of actressKarisma Kapoor. Noted for playing a variety of characters in a range of film genres—from contemporary romantic comedies to crime dramas—Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, and has established herself as one of Bollywood's highest-paid actresses.

After making her acting debut in the 2000 war drama Refugee, Kapoor's early years in the film industry were fairly successful; she received recognition for portraying Kaurwaki in the 2001 historical drama Asoka and appeared in the blockbuster melodrama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... that same year. 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 her when she played against type in the role of a sex worker in the drama Chameli. She subsequently received praise from critics 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. By 2007, Kapoor had established herself as a leading actress of Hindi cinema with a primary role in the romantic comedy Jab We Met, for which she was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She achieved further success by featuring as the female lead in four of India's top-grossing productions—the 2009 dramedy 3 Idiots, the 2010 comedyGolmaal 3, the 2011 romantic drama Bodyguard, and the 2011 science fiction Ra.One—and earned critical acclaim for her performances in the 2009 thriller Kurbaan and the 2012 drama Heroine. Married to actor Saif Ali Khan, Kapoor's off-screen life is the subject of widespread coverage in India. She is known in the Indian media for being publicly 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 is a stage performer and has contributed as a co-author to three books: an autobiographical memoir, and two nutrition guides. She has also launched her own clothing line in association with the retail chainGlobus. Early life and background

In an interview with journalist Vir Sanghvi, Kapoor stated that growing up with her mother (left) and sister helped her become strong and independent^[3]

Born into a film family in Mumbai on 21 September 1980, Kapoor (often informally referred to as 'Bebo')^[4] is the younger daughter of Randhir Kapoor and Babita (née Shivdasani);^[5] her elder sister Karisma is also an actress. She is the granddaughter of actor and filmmakerRaj 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.^[6] She is of Punjabi descent on her father's side,^[7] and Sindhi on her mother's side.^[8] Describing herself as a "very naughty [and] spoilt child", Kapoor's exposure to films from a young age kindled her interest in acting;^[3] she was particularly inspired by the work of actresses Nargis and Meena Kumari.^[9] Despite her family background, her father disapproved of women entering films because he believed it conflicted with the traditional maternal duties and responsibility of women in the family.^[10] This led to a conflict between her parents, and they separated.^[11] She was then raised by her mother, who worked several jobs to support her daughters until Karisma debuted as an actress in 1991.^[12] After living separately for several years, her parents reconciled in October 2007.^[11] Kapoor remarked "My father is also an important factor in my life [...] [Al]though we did not see him often in our initial years, we are a family now."^[12] 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.^[3] According to Kapoor, she was a good student and received first-class honours in all subjects except mathematics.^[3] After graduating from Welham she studied commerce for two years at Mithibai College in Vile Parle (Mumbai).^[9] Kapoor then registered for a three-month summer course in microcomputers at Harvard University 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, Kapoor decided to pursue her interest to become an actress.^[13] She began training at an acting institute in Mumbai mentored by Kishore Namit Kapoor, a member of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).^[14]

Acting career

2000–03: Debut, breakthrough and setback

While training at the institute, Kapoor was cast as the female 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 Bachchanin J. P. Dutta's war drama Refugee. Set during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971, the film centers on a man who illegally transports civilians back and forth across the border. Kapoor portrayed Naaz, a Bangladeshi girl who falls in love with Bachchan's character while illegally migrating to Pakistan with her family. Her performance was acclaimed by critics; Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote that 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 is no denying the fact that she is a natural performer who is very camera friendly."^[15] On the experience of acting in her first film, Kapoor described it as "tough ... [but] also a great learning experience".^[9]Refugee was a moderate box-office success in India^[16] and Kapoor's performance earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.^[17] For her second release, Kapoor was paired opposite Tusshar Kapoor in Satish Kaushik's box-office hit Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai(2001).^[18] A review in The Hindu noted that based on her first two films, she was "definitely the actress to watch out for".^[19] 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.^[18] Later that year, she appeared in Santosh Sivan's period epic Asoka—a partly fictionalised account of the life of the Indian emperor by the same name. Featured opposite Shahrukh Khan, the film was screened at the Venice and 2001 Toronto International Film Festivals, and received generally positive reviews.^[20] Kapoor's portrayal of Kaurwaki—a Kalingan princess, with whom Ashoka falls in love—received mixed reactions from critics; Rediff.comconcluded that her presence in the film was primarily used for aesthetic purposes.^[21] At the 47th Filmfare Awards, Kapoor received her first nomination for Best Actress.^[17] Kapoor's fifth and final release of 2001 was Karan Johar's melodrama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... in which she featured part of an ensemble cast. 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."^[22] 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.^[18] It also became one of the biggest Bollywood success of all time in the overseas market, earning over 1 billion(US$16 million) worldwide.^[23] Bollywood Hungama reported that the success of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... proved a breakthroughfor Kapoor,^[24] and her portrayal of Poo (a good-natured, superficial girl) was described by Taran Adarsh as "one of the main highlights of the film".^[25] 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.^[17] During 2002 and 2003, Kapoor continued to work in a number of projects but experienced a setback. All six films in which she starred—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—were critically and commercially unsuccessful.^[26][27] Critics described her performances in these films as "variations of the same character" she played in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..., and expressed concern that she was becoming typecast.

2004–06: Critical acclaim

By 2004, Kapoor was keen on broadening her range as an actress and thus decided to portray more challenging roles.^[28][29] Under the direction of Sudhir Mishra, Kapoor essayed the role of a golden-hearted prostitute in Chameli, a film relating the story of a young prostitute who meets with a widowed investment banker (played by Rahul Bose). When Kapoor was initially offered the film she refused it, explaining that she would be uncomfortable in the role.^[28] She relented when Mishra approached her for the second time, and in preparation for the role, visited several of Mumbai's red-light districts at night to study the mannerisms of sex workers and the way they dressed.^[28] Chameli was well received by critics and the film marked a significant turning point in her career,^[29] earning Kapoor aspecial jury recognition at the 49th Filmfare Awards.^[30] Indiatimes praised her "intuitive brilliance" and stated that she had exceeded all expectations.^[31] Rediff.com, however, found her portrayal unconvincing and excessively stereotypical, describing her as "sounding more like a teenager playacting than a brash, hardened streetwalker" and comparing her mannerisms to a caricature.^[32] Kapoor next co-starred in Mani Ratnam's bilingual project Yuva alongside Ajay Devgan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Rani Mukerji and Esha Deol. The film, consisting of three chapters, tells the story of six individuals linked by a car accident. Kapoor is featured in the third chapter as Oberoi's love interest (Mira, a witty young woman). In a Times of India review film critic Subhash K Jha described her role as "fey and insubstantial", but further stated that "she turns these character traits to her own advantage to create a girl who is at once enigmatic and all-there".^[33] She then appeared alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Fardeen Khan in Govind Nihalani's critically acclaimed film Dev, which revolved around the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots in the Indian state of Gujarat.^[34] Kapoor's role was that of a Muslim victim named Aaliya, modelled after Zaheera Sheikh (a key witness in Vadodara's Best Bakery case).^[34] It earned her a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and nominations for Best Actress at various award ceremonies.^[17] Taran Adarsh noted that she was "first-rate" and in particular noted her scene with Bachchan's character. Shortly afterwards, Kapoor was cast for the first time as a villain in the thriller Fida. Set against the backdrop of the Mumbai underworld, the film follows the story of an online heist in which her character, Neha Mehra, becomes involved. During the filming ofFida Kapoor began a romantic relationship with co-actor Shahid Kapoor, whom she later described as having "a major positive influence in my life".^[36] Although the film was unsuccessful at the box office^[37] Kapoor received positive reviews for her performance, and some critics noted a distinct progression from her earlier roles.^[38] Her subsequent releases that year included Abbas-Mustan's thriller Aitraaz and Priyadarshan's comedy Hulchul, both of which were successful at the Indian box office.^[37] Following the success of her last two releases, she was cast as the protagonist of the 2005 drama Bewafaa. The feature received mostly negative reviews, and Kapoor's portrayal of Anjali Sahai (an unfaithful woman) was not well received. Nikhat Kazmi of Indiatimes believed that to become a serious actress Kapoor was embodying a maturer, more-jaded character beyond her years in Bewafaa.^[39] She then starred in Priyadarshan's romantic drama Kyon Ki, which was a box-office failure;^[40] however, Kapoor's performance was generally well received by critics (with the BBC describing her as "a pure natural").^[41] In 2006, Kapoor appeared in three films. She first starred in the thriller 36 China Town, followed by the comedy Chup Chup Ke; both were moderately successful.^[42] She next portrayed the character of Desdemona in Omkara—the Hindi adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello. The film (directed by Vishal Bhardwaj) is a tragedy of sexual jealousy set against the backdrop of the political system in Uttar Pradesh.^[43] Describing Bhardwaj as a "world-class director [with] a unique style", Kapoor was cast in the project after the director had seen her performance in Yuva, and was subsequently required to attend script-reading sessions along with the entire cast.^[44][45] The feature premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was screened at the Cairo International Film Festival.^[43][46]Omkara was received positively by critics, and Kapoor's portrayal earned her a fourth Filmfare Award and first Screen Award.^[17] In a 2010 retrospective of the "Top 80 Iconic Performances" of Hindi cinema, Filmfare wrote that she was "brilliant" and praised her ability to "effortless[ly]" convey the various emotions her character went through.^[47] Kapoor considered her role in Omkara as a "new benchmark" in her career, and compared her portrayal of Dolly with her own evolving maturity as a woman. Following Omkara, Kapoor took a short break from acting, as she felt that "nothing [was] challenging enough for me to say yes". In an interview with The Times of India Kapoor commented, "In my initial years in the industry, I pushed myself to do a lot of work because I was greedy. I did some films—which I now regret—purely for the money. Today, I want to do selective films.