Biography Early life and family Main article: Kapoor family
Born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India into the Kapoor film family of Punjabi origin, Kapoor is the youngest daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita (née Shivdasani). According to Kapoor,her first name was derived from the book Anna Karenina.[10] She is the granddaughter of actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor and the great granddaughter of Prithviraj Kapoor. Bebo, as she is fondly called, is also the sister of actress Karisma Kapoor and the niece of actor Rishi Kapoor.[1]
Despite being born into a successful acting family, her father insisted that she marry early according to Indian tradition and avoid acting.[11] In an interview with
Encyclopedia Britannica, he stated that the problem was not women acting itself, given that both he and his brother married well-known actresses as did their uncles. Rather, his concerns arose from the purported incompatibility betweenacting and the maternal duties and responsibility of women in the family.[12] This led to irreconcilable differences between her parents and resulted in her mother leaving the house along with Kapoor and her older sister.[13] She was raised by her mother, who, with difficulty, worked several jobs to support the family, until Karisma began work as an actress in 1991.[14]
Kapoor was educated at Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai, and later Welham
Girls Boarding School in Dehradun. After studying commerce at Mithibai College, Vile Parle for two years, she embarked upon a three-month summer course in microcomputers at Harvard University.[15] She later developed an interest in law and enrolled at the Government's Law College in Churchgate.[15] After completing one year there, she returned to her initial plan to become an actress[16] and commenced training under Kishore Namit Kapoor'sActing Institute.[17]
Career Kapoor was initially scheduled to make her debut in Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000), opposite his son, Hrithik Roshan.[18] 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."[15]
After turning down Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, Kapoor made her acting debut later that same year in J.P. Dutta's war drama Refugee, opposite Abhishek Bachchan. Set during the Indo-Pakistani conflicts, the film centers on a young man known simply as Refugee (played by Bachchan) who illegally transports civilians back and forth across the Pakistan border. Kapoor portrayed the role of Naaz, a Bangladeshi girl who falls in love with him while migrating to Pakistan. Her 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."[19] Kapoor's performance earned her theFilmfare Best Female Debut Award, and Refugee went on to become the fifth-highest grossing film of the year.[20]
Turning point, 2004–present
Following the negative period in Kapoor's career, 2004 marked the beginning of her work in more serious films, most of which would bring her critical acclaim rather than commercial success.[6][30] Under the direction of Sudhir Mishra, Kapoor played a prostitute in Chameli opposite Rahul Bose, which takes the name of her central character. Chameli relates the story of a young prostitute who meets with a widowed investment banker, and follows their way of getting close to each other by sharing their devastating life experiences. The film garnered predominantly positive reviews and Kapoor's portrayal earned her theFilmfare Special Performance Award. Indiatimes wrote about her performance, "... Kareena goes way beyond anyone's expectations, including most decidedly her own, to deliver an all-time great performance, on a par with Nargis in Mehboob Khan's Mother India (1957), Meena Kumari in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) and Shabana Azmi in Mahesh Bhatt's Arth (1982).Kareena flashes an intuitive brilliance that comes to movies very, very rarely indeed".[31]
Kapoor as the prostitute "Chameli" in Chameli (2004).
Kapoor then appeared opposite Amitabh Bachchan and Fardeen Khan in Govind Nihalani's critically acclaimed Dev, a film which featured her as a vocalist for a song for the first time in her career.[32] The drama centres around the Gujarat riots and communal violence which prevailed between February and May 2002 in the Indian State of Gujarat between the Hindu and Muslim communities.[33] Modeled after Zahira Sheikh, a key witness in Vadodara's Best Bakery case, Kapoor's role was that of a middle-class Muslim girl named Aaliya who falls victim to the riots.[33] For her performance, she earned aFilmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, as well as nominations for Best Actress at various award ceremonies. Taran Adarsh commented, "Kareena Kapoor is first-rate. Sporting a deglamorized look, the actress takes a giant leap with this film. Her scene with Amitabh Bachchan (when the latter asks for witnesses to come forward) is an example of superbacting."[34]
Shortly after that, Kapoor was cast in her first uncivil role in the thriller Fida opposite Shahid Kapoor and Fardeen Khan. The film deals with Internet theft and an underworld of Mumbai gangsters in which her character Neha Mehra becomes involved. Although the film failed at the box office, Kapoor received positive reviews for her performance.[35] The Tribune noted, "Kareena Kapoor delivers well. She looks tired, but manages to freshen you up with her bitchy smile"; Rediff.com concluded, "Kareena has finally moved beyond "Poo" in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and has come into her own."[36][37] Her subsequent releases that year included Abbas-Mustan's moderately successful thriller Aitraaz and Priyadarshan's comedy Hulchul,her first box-office hit since 2002.[35]
In 2005, Kapoor appeared in three films. She first starred in the Dharmesh Darshan directed drama Bewafaa, alongside Anil Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Sushmita Sen. Kapoor played the lead role as the Indo-Canadian Anjaji, who marries her sister's husband after her death, but unsatisfied with the ensuing married life resumes a relationship with her previous boyfriend. The film received mixed reviews and Kapoor's performance was not well-received.[38] Later in the year, she appeared in Priyadarshan's romantic drama Kyon Ki. The drama, set in a psychiatric hospital, relates the love story of a mentally ill patient, played by Salman Khan, and his physician, played by Kapoor. The movie failed to make a profit at the box-office, though Kapoor's performance was generally well-received by critics.[39] The BBC wrote, "It goes without saying that she is a pure natural when it comes toacting ."[40] Kapoor then featured in the romance Dosti: Friends Forever alongside Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol and Lara Dutta. The film, whilst only a moderate success in India, became the highest earning Bollywood film of 2005 in the United Kingdom.[41]
In 2006, Kapoor starred in the thriller 36 China Town, followed by the comedy Chup Chup Ke. Both films performed moderately well at the box office.[42] She next portrayed the role of Desdemona in the Hindi adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello, Omkara. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the film starred Kapoor alongside Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, Vivek Oberoi and Konkona Sen Sharma, and was premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.[43] Her performance was praised, earning Kapoor her fourth Filmfare Award and first Star Screen Award. Rediff.com commented that "Her character is one of the hardest to essay, as she goes through love and awe, fear and bewilderment, defiance to her father and submission to her man. Kareena doesn't have the lines, but she has moments demanding powerful use of expression, and she delivers."[44]
Later that year, she appeared in an item number in Farhan Akhtar's Don - The Chase Begins Again, a remake of the 1978 Bollywood film Don. Although Kapoor's performance was generally well-received, critics commented that she did not perform the role as well as Helen did in the original version.[45][46]
Kapoor (as Geet Dhillon) with Shahid Kapoor in Jab We Met (2007), which earned the actress a Filmfare Best Actress Award.
The following year, she co-starred alongside Shahid Kapoor in Imtiaz Ali's comedy-romance Jab We Met. Relating the story of two people with contrasting personalities who meet on a train and eventually fall in love, Kapoor played the female protagonist Geet Dhillon, a vivacious Sikhni girl with a strong zest for life. The film was received favourably by critics and became one of the year's most successful films at the box office, earning a domestic total of Rs 303 million.[47] Kapoor won several awards for her performance, including a Filmfare Best Actress Award and her second Star Screen Award for Best Actress. Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN noted, "Uninhibited and spontaneous, Kareena Kapoor is the soul of this picture, its biggest strength, as she brings alive her character with not just those smart lines, but with the kind of candor actors seldom invest in their work. I can't think of a greater compliment to pay her than to say with full confidence that no actress could play Geet better than Kareena has."[48]
Following the success of Jab We Met, Kapoor featured opposite Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan and Anil Kapoor in the action-thriller Tashan (2008). The film—which marked her comeback to the Yash Raj Films banner—was a critical and commercial failure at the box office.[49] Kapoor next provided her voice for the Yash Raj Films & Walt Disney Pictures animated movie Roadside Romeo. Directed by Jugal Hansraj, the movie featured a street dog named Romeo and had Kapoor providing the voice of Laila, his love interest. In preparation for her role, Kapoor watched several Hollywood animated films to analyse how actors delivered their dialogues.[50]
Rohit Shetty's comedy Golmaal Returns, a sequel to the 2006 film Golmaal, followed. Featuring in part of an ensemble cast that included Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Amrita Arora, Celina Jaitley and Anjana Sukhani, Kapoor played the role of Devgan's suspicious wife. The film received a lukewarm reception from critics and Kapoor received mixed reviews. The Indian Express concluded, "There is nothing particularly new about a suspicious wife keeping tabs on her husband, and there is nothing particularly new in the way Kareena plays it: because it is a Balaji production, she is called Ekta, and all she seems to do is to watch soppy 'saas bahu' serials which come from the stable."[51] Golmaal Returns turned out to become a major financial success nonetheless, with revenues of over Rs 500 million domestically.[49]
As of December 2008, Kapoor is currently filming for the romantic drama Kambakth Ishq, as well as Prem Soni's drama Main Aur Mrs. Khanna. She was also cast as the lead in Rajkumar Hirani's upcoming film, Three Idiots, which began principal photography in July 2008.[52]
Other work
During her years in the film industry, Kapoor has also devoted time to other commitments, from being involved with humanitarian causes to taking part in stage shows. In 2002, Kapoor set off on her first world tour, the Heartthrobs Concert, alongside Hrithik Roshan, Karisma Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Aftab Shivdasani. The show was performed throughout the US and Canada and went on to become a success.[53] In November 2003, Kapoor performed at the Marco Ricci Each One Reach One Benefit Concert, a fundraiser for the World Youth Peace Summit,[54] whilst in 2005, along with other Bollywood stars, she took part in the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.[55] Later that year, she visited the desert heartland of Rajasthan to boost the morale of the jawans for a special Holi weekend episode on the NDTV show, Jai Jawan. The show consists of entertainers and stars visiting Indian troops in far-flung regions along with the NDTV team.[56]
In 2006, Kapoor took part in the Rockstars Concert world tour, along with Salman Khan, Zayed Khan, John Abraham, Shahid Kapoor, Esha Deol and Mallika Sherawat.[57] The following year, Kapoor, along with Priyanka Chopra, donated her half-share of 50 lakh rupees from her winnings on the season finale of Kaun Banega Crorepati to St. Anthony's Old Age Home and Mount Mary's Bandra.[58] In June 2008, Kapoor appeared on the television game show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? alongside boyfriend Saif Ali Khan. Earning a total of 500,000 rupees, Kapoor again donated half of her winnings to St. Anthony's Old Age Home, Bandra.
Personal life
Kapoor with boyfriend Saif Ali Khan at the 53rd Filmfare Awards ceremony in 2008.
Gossip columnists have linked Kapoor to a number of her co-stars, but she has strongly denied all these rumors.In 2004, she began dating actor Shahid Kapoor, the son of veteran actor Pankaj Kapoor. While dating, their relationship was often reported in the media, and was once in the center of a scandal when onlookers with mobile phone cameras filmed them kissing and released it to the media.[61] The couple separated three years later while filming Jab We Met (2007). Though the media initially perceived it as a publicity stunt for the film, it was later confirmed that the couple had indeed broken up. According to her, they remained on good terms, and she said in an interview, "I have seen Shahid from his first film to Jab We Met and I can say that there is a marked difference. According to me he is a bundle of talent waiting to explode. I have that much of faith in him as an actor."[64]
In September 2007, during her breakup with Kapoor, rumors began floating around that she was seeing actor Saif Ali Khan. On October 18, 2007, during Manish Malhotra's grand finale show at the Lakme Fashion Week, Khan confirmed their relationship to the media saying, "Yes, we are not exactly shouting from the rooftops but yes, clearly we are together. And we are happy together!"Their relationship is frequently reported on in the media, and is often subject to press speculation of a possible engagement or marriage.However, both of them have denied these rumours.
In 2006, Kapoor declared that she would turn vegetarian in order to keep her weight in check
