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Kareena Kapoor (pronounced [kəˈriːnaː kəˈpuːr]; born 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 actress Karisma Kapoor. Noted for playing a variety of characters in a range of film genres—from contemporary romantic dramas to comedies—Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, and has established herself as a leading actress of Hindi cinema.^[1][2]

After making her acting debut in the 2000 war drama Refugee, Kapoor's early years in the film industry were successful; she received a Filmfare nomination for Asoka (2001) and appeared in the melodrama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... the same year, one of her biggest commercial successes to date. This was followed by a series of commercial failures and repetitive roles, which garnered her negative reviews. She portrayed a sex worker in Chameli (2004), the turning point in her career, and starred in the critically acclaimed films Dev (2004) and Omkara (2006). Kapoor played the lead female role in the romantic comedy Jab We Met (2007, which earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress) and the dramedy 3 Idiots (2009, the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time).

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 chain Globus.

Early life and background[link]

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 filmmaker Raj 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 actors 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[link]

2000–03: Debut, breakthrough and setback[link]

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 Bachchan in 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 success 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 in Subhash Ghai's family drama Yaadein alongside Jackie Shroff and Hrithik Roshan, which received negative reviews and was unsuccessful at the box office.^[18] Later that year, she appeared in Santosh Sivan's period epic Asoka opposite Shahrukh Khan. The film was selected for 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.com concluded that her presence in the film was primarily used for aesthetic purposes.^[21] She later received her first nomination for Best Actress at the 47th Filmfare Awards.^[17]

Kapoor's final release of 2001 was Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... in which she featured part of an ensemble cast. Directed by Karan Johar, the melodrama became 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${{#invoke:Math|precision_format| 17,200,000/1E6 | 0}} million) worldwide.^[22] Kapoor's performance as Poo (a good-natured, superficial girl) was described by Taran Adarsh as "one of the main highlights of the film",^[23] and earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination.^[17]

During 2002 and 2003, Kapoor experienced a setback in her career. 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.^[24][25] Critics described Kapoor's performances as unoriginal, repetitive, an uninspired;^[5] they expressed concern that she was becoming typecast. These negative reviews motivated her to accept more challenging roles.^[26][27]

2004–06: Critical acclaim[link]

The year 2004 marked Kapoor's work in a series of films that would bring her critical acclaim.^[26] 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.^[27] She relented when Mishra approached her for the second time, viewing it as an opportunity to demonstrate her acting range.^[27] Chameli was well received by critics and the film marked a significant turning point in her career,^[26] earning Kapoor the Filmfare Special Performance Award.^[28] Indiatimes praised her "intuitive brilliance" and stated that she had exceeded all expectations.^[29] 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.^[30]