The
Kapoor family, it seems, has perfected the art
of creating stars as no other family has. Kareena
is yet another Kapoor to make a splash in Bollywood
and what a great splash it has been. Her uncles,
Shammi Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor, parents Randhir
Kapoor and Babita Kapoor, along with her charismatic
sister, Karisma, are some of the few renowned
members of her lineage. Having debuted in the
year 2000 in the much anticipated film Refugee
with co-star Abhishek Bachchan, Kareena proved
to be an instant hit with audience and critics,
who lost no time in recognizing her plentiful
potential.
In all fairness it has to be said that Kareena
hasn’t made it to the top only because
she happens to be blessed with the magic name
of Kapoor, rather it is her raw acting skills,
and her ravishing features that has propelled
her to the dizzying heights of stardom. When
quizzed about her illustrious surname, she says,
“People think that I had it all easy.
What they don’t understand is that it’s
tough being a ‘Kapoor’ girl, there’s
far more pressure living up to that name. If
any small town girl or a girl from a non-film
background acts moderately well in a film, people
go berserk praising her. That’s because
they are treated as underdogs from the beginning.
Karisma and I were never treated like underdogs.
I think the small town girls have it easier.”
Kareena’s numerous fans may find it difficult
to believe that their hazel-eyed screen goddess
had once planned to become a lawyer. She attended
Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai and then went
to Welham Girl's Boarding School in Dehradun.
She returned to Mumbai to attend Mithibai College
where she enrolled in a commerce program. She
also did a stint at Harvard where she took a
course in microcomputers and information technology.
But by the time she finished her twelfth standard,
Bollywood beckoned. Maybe Kareena was inspired
during the film shoots to which she used to
frequently accompany her sister. She decided
to join the Kishore Namit Kapoor acting school
where she would polish her histrionic talents.
After Refugee came the film Mujhe Kucch Kehna
Hai (2001), where Kareena played the role of
the feisty Pooja Saxena. But it was through
mega blockbusters like Asoka and Kabhi Khushi
Kabhie Gham, that Kareena could confirm her
Prima Donna status. Films like Omkara (2006),
Chup Chup Ke (2006), 36 China Town and Aitraaz
(2004) have gone a long way in embellishing
her profile as an actress. As a screen goddess
Kareena, has done everything to defy the mores
and traditions of the Kapoor khandaan. From
an on-screen lip-lock, to her sensational quotes
and hard-hitting films to a pompously flaunted
boyfriend, Shahid Kapur – hypocrisy of
any sort is simply not her style. She leads
life on her own terms and sets trends that others
follow.
When she is asked about her famous lip smooch
with Fardeen Khan in Dev, she is excitingly
blunt about it, “C’mon, let’s
grow up. We’re a new generation, so let’s
get real. There are girls who come to the industry
and swear that they’ll never shed clothes,
and all eventually do it, as it’s the
need of the film. If Raj Kapoor was so ahead
of his time that he could show kissing on screen,
I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
Her sizzling chemistry with Fardeen Khan is
the stuff out of which enduring legends get
made. About Fardeen she says, “I think
Fardeen is the hottest guy alive, and I have
no bones in saying that!"
