Kareena Kapoor & Kangna Ranaut in conversation with Imtiaz Ali
Kareena Kapoor born
21 September 1980, also known by her married name
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 romantic comedies to crime dramas—Kapoor is the recipient of several awards, including six
Filmfare Awards, and is one of Bollywood's most popular and highest-paid actresses.
After making her acting debut in the
2000 war film
Refugee, Kapoor established herself in
Hindi cinema with roles in the historical drama
Aśoka, and the blockbuster melodrama
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (both
2001). 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 Kapoor when she played against type in the role of a sex worker in the drama
Chameli. She subsequently earned wide critical recognition 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. She went on to receive Filmfare Awards for
Best Actress and
Best Supporting Actress for her performances in the
2007 romantic comedy
Jab We Met and the
2010 drama
We Are Family, respectively. Kapoor achieved further success by featuring as the female lead in four of
India's top-grossing productions—the 2009 comedy-drama
3 Idiots, the
2011 romantic drama
Bodyguard, the 2011 science fiction Ra.One, and the
2015 social drama
Bajrangi Bhaijaan—and received praise for her roles 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 has a reputation for being 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.
Kangana Ranaut born 23
March 1987) is an
Indian film actress. She has established a career in Bollywood and is one of the highest-paid actresses in India. Ranaut is particularly known in the media for expressing her honest opinions in public and is frequently credited as one of the most fashionable Indian celebrities. She is the recipient of several awards, including two
National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards in four categories.
Born in Bhambla, a small town in
Himachal Pradesh, Ranaut initially aspired to become a doctor at the insistence of her parents.
Determined to build her own career path, she relocated to
Delhi at age sixteen, where she briefly became a model. After training under the theatre director
Arvind Gaur, Ranaut made her feature film debut in the 2006 thriller
Gangster, for which she was awarded the
Filmfare Award for
Best Female Debut. She received praise for portraying emotionally intense characters in the dramas
Woh Lamhe (2006),
Life in a...
Metro (2007) and
Fashion (2008). For the last of these, she won the
National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Filmfare Award in the same category.
Ranaut featured in the commercially successful films
Raaz: The Mystery Continues (2009) and
Once Upon a Time in
Mumbaai (2010), though she was criticised for being typecast in neurotic roles. A comic role opposite
R. Madhavan in the 2011 box office hit
Tanu Weds Manu was well-received, though this was followed by a series of brief, glamorous roles in films that failed to propel her career forward. She then played a mutant opposite
Hrithik Roshan in the science fiction film
Krrish 3 (
2013), one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films, and won the Filmfare and National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in the comedy-drama
Queen (2014). In 2015, Ranaut portrayed dual roles in
Tanu Weds Manu Returns, the most successful
Bollywood film featuring a female protagonist, for which she won the Filmfare Critics
Award for Best Actress.