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Kareena Kapoor
Kapoor at the 2008 Global Indian TV Honours.
Born	September 21, 1980 (1980-09-21) (age 27) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Film actress
Years active	2000–present
Awards won Filmfare Awards Best Actress 2008: Jab We Met Best Actress (Critics) 2005: Dev 2007: Omkara Special Performance 2004: Chameli Best Female Debut 2001: Refugee

Kareena Kapoor, (Hindi: करीना कपूर; born September 21, 1980)^[1] nicknamed Bebo, is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood films. Born into the Kapoor film family, she made her acting debut in Refugee (2000), for which she won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. The following year, Kapoor received her first commercial success with her second release, Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai^[2] and later appeared in Karan Johar's melodrama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), which became India's top-grossing film in the overseas market that year and her biggest commercial success.^[3]

After a period between 2002 and 2003 when a series of unsuccessful films and repetitive roles resulted in film critics giving her negative reviews, in danger of becoming typecast, Kapoor accepted more demanding roles. Her portrayal of a sex-worker in Chameli (2004) proved to be the turning point in her career and garnered her the Filmfare Special Performance Award.^[4] She later received two Critics Award for Best Actress at the Filmfare for her performances in the critically acclaimed films Dev (2004) and Omkara (2006). After taking on such a range of acting roles between 2004 and 2006, she was recognized for displaying versatility as an actress.^[5]

In 2007, Kapoor earned a Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in the commercially successful comedy-romance Jab We Met. Although the box office earnings of her films have varied considerably, Kapoor has established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in the Hindi film industry.^[6][7]

Contents 1 Early life and family 2 Career 2.1 Early work, until 2000 2.2 Breakthrough, 2001–2003 2.3 Turning point, 2004–present 3 Other work 4 Personal life 5 In the media 6 Filmography 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links

Early life and family

Main article: Kapoor family

Born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India into the renowned 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.^[8] She is the granddaughter of legendary actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor and the great granddaughter of Prithviraj Kapoor. Bebo, as she is fondly called, is also the sister of popular actress, Karisma Kapoor and the niece of well-known actor, Rishi Kapoor.

Despite being born into a successful acting family, her father insisted that she married early according to Indian tradition and avoid acting.^[9] 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 between acting and the maternal duties and responsiblity of women in the family.^[10] This led to irreconcilable differences between her parents and resulted in her mother leaving the house along with Kapoor and her older sister.^[11] She was raised by her mother, who, with difficulty, worked several jobs to support the family, until her sister began work as an actress in 1991.^[12]

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.^[13] She later developed an interest in law and enrolled at the Government's Law College in Churchgate.^[13] After completing one year there, she returned to her initial plan to become an actress^[14] and commenced training under Kishor Namit Kapoor, the founder of Kapoor Acting Lab.^[15]

Career

Early work, until 2000

Kapoor was initially scheduled to make her debut in Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000), opposite his son, Hrithik Roshan.^[16] 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."^[13]

After turning down the initial film that was scheduled, she was to make her acting debut in J.P. Dutta's war drama Refugee later in 2000, opposite Abhishek Bachchan. Set during the Indo-Pakistani conflicts, the film centers on a young man, Refugee, played by Bachchan, who operates illegally transporting 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 won her critical acclaim, and Taran Adarsh from 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, that too against experienced performers. There's no denying the fact that she is a natural performer who is very camera friendly."^[17] Kapoor earned her first Filmfare Award, in the Best Female Debut category, and the film eventually went on to became the fifth-highest grossing film of the year.^[18]

Breakthrough, 2001–2003

In 2001, Kapoor starred opposite Tusshar Kapoor in Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, a romantic drama film directed by Satish Kaushik. Revolving around the story about a troubled young man who falls in love with Pooja, played by Kareena, the film went on to become one of the highest earners of the year.^[2] However, subsequent releases such as Yaadein and Ajnabee that followed for Kapoor did indifferent business at the box office.^[2]

Later that year, she starred in Santosh Sivan's period-epic Asoka, a partly fictionalized version of the life of Ashoka the Great, (304 BC – 232 BC) one of the noted Indian emperors of the Maurya Empire. Featured opposite Shahrukh Khan who takes centre stage as Ashoka, Kapoor portrays the character of Kaurwaki, a princess of Kalinga who Ashoka falls deeply in love with. While the film received generally positive reviews, Kapoor's acting performance received a mixed reaction from some critics, with some believing her contribution to the film was primarily for aesthetic purposes. A review on Rediff.com said about her performance, "Kareena flashes a lot of skin and fills up the screen for a large portion of the first half. While a large portion of the first half is focused on the emerging romance between the runaway prince and herself and to their credit they do manage to whip up some on-screen chemistry, I am still unsure as to her acting abilities".^[19] Despite this, her performance was noted by others and earned her a first nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards.^[20]

Kapoor's final release of 2001 was the drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, which released on December 14 of that year and was directed by Karan Johar. The film, which had a multi-starred cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Hrithik Roshan emerged as the second highest grossing film of the year in India, as well as Kapoor's highest grossing movie. It also performed well internationally and became the year's top-grossing Bollywood film overseas, earning over Rs 800 million worldwide.^[2][21] Her performance as a cosmetic beauty was well recieved by the critics, and earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination. Taran Adarsh noted, "Kareena Kapoor is one of the main highlights of the film. She provides the much-needed fun and entertainment in the second half; her performance will be loved by the youth. Playing a cosmetic beauty to the hilt, she is simply adorable."^[22]

During 2002-2003, Kapoor experienced a slump in her career. Featuring in six films in total, which included Mujhse Dosti Karoge! and Jeena Sirf Merre Liye in 2002, and Talaash: The Hunt Begins..., Khushi, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon and the four hour J.P. Dutta war epic LOC Kargil in 2003, all of the films proved to be critically and commercially unsuccessful in India. The high profile film Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (2002) in which she played the character of Tina Kapoor, coincided with Kunal Kohli's directorial debut and was poorly received in India despite generating revenue overseas.^[23] One critic reported that "Kareena Kapoor is inconsistent. The actress looks ravishing in every frame, but she repeats her smug act in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham to an annoying effect here."^[24] Her other high profile film during this period was in 2003's Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon. The film, directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya under the Rajshri Productions banner also suffered the same fate in India despite becoming a success internationally.^[25][26] Kapoor's performance was again identified by many critics as unoriginal and repetitive, with little inspiration. Her role was considered by some to be a repeat of her earlier performances and character roles in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Yaadein, and her previous film Khushi released before it.^[27] These films marked the time when critics expressed concern that she was becoming typecast and such reviews were fundamental in motivating her to embody different roles, often with a stronger essence of character in the years that followed.^[4][28]

Turning point, 2004–present

Following the negative period in her career between 2002 and 2003, the year 2004 marked the beginning of Kapoor's work with independent film directors and more serious roles, most of which would bring her critical acclaim rather than commercial success.^[4][28] Under the direction of Sudhir Mishra, Kapoor played her first role as 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 performance earned her the Filmfare 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".^[29]

Kapoor then featured opposite Amitabh Bachchan and Fardeen Khan in Govind Nihalani's critically acclaimed Dev. The film 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.^[30] Modeled after Zahira Sheikh, a key witness in Vadodara's Best Bakery case,^[30] Kapoor's role was that of a middle-class Muslim girl named Aaliya who falls victim to the riots. Her performance earned her a Filmfare 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 superb acting."^[31]

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 to earn significantly at the box office,^[32] she received positive reviews for her performance. 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."^[33][34] 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.^[32]

In 2005, Kapoor appeared in three films. Her first release was the Dharmesh Darshan directed drama Bewafaa, in which she co-starred alongside Anil Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Sushmita Sen. Kapoor played the lead role of the Indo-Canadian Anjaji, who marries her sister's husband after her death, but unsatisfied with her married life, resumes a relationship with her previous boyfriend. The film received mixed reviews and Kapoor's performance was not well-received by critics.^[35] Later in the year, she appeared in Priyadarshan's romantic drama Kyon Ki opposite Salman Khan. The drama depicts the story of a man, who, unable to overcome the shock of accidentally killing his fiancé, is hospitalized, where he meets Kapoor's character, Dr. Tanvi Khurana. Although the film failed to make a profit at the box-office, Kapoor's performance was generally well-received.^[36] The BBC wrote, "It goes without saying that she is a pure natural when it comes to acting."^[37] Kapoor then featured in the romance Dosti: Friends Forever alongside Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol and Lara Dutta. The film, whilst a moderate success in India, became the highest earning Bollywood film of 2005 in the United Kingdom.^[38]

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.^[39] She next portrayed the role of Desdemona in Omkara, a Hindi adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello. Directed by Vishal Bharadwaj, the film starred Kapoor alongside Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, Vivek Oberoi and Konkona Sen Sharma. 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."^[40]

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 as well in the role as Helen did in the original version.^[41][42]

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 bubbly and talkative 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.^[43] Kapoor won several awards for her performance, including her first Filmfare Best Actress Award and 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."^[44]

Kapoor's most recent film is Vijay Krishna Acharya's action thriller Tashan, released on April 25, 2008. The film, which marked her comeback to Yash Raj Films, failed to do well at the box office. As of July 2008, Kapoor has completed filming for Golmaal Returns, the sequel to the 2006 comedy Golmaal, as well as the animated movie Roadside Romeo, both of which are scheduled to release on October 24, 2008. Confirmed future projects include Prem Soni's drama Main Aur Mrs. Khanna and the romantic drama Kambakth Ishq, opposite Akshay Kumar.

Other work

During her years in the film industry, Kapoor has also devoted her time to other commitments, which range from her being involved with humanitarian causes, to her 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 be a success.^[45] In November 2003, Kapoor performed at the Marco Ricci Each One Reach One Benefit Concert, a fundraiser for the World Youth Peace Summit^[46] 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.^[47] 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.^[48]

The year 2006 saw Kapoor take part in the Rockstars Concert world tour, along with Salman Khan, Zayed Khan, John Abraham, Shahid Kapoor, Esha Deol and Mallika Sherawat.^[49] In 2007, 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.^[50]

The following year, she walked the ramp for Manish Malhotra's fashion display at the 2008 IIFA Fashion Extravaganza. Proceeds from the show were given to the IIFA Foundation, a charity organization set up by the International Indian Film Academy to support families of the film industry workers who have been adversely affected during the production of a film.^[51] In June, Kapoor appeared on the television game show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? alongside boyfriend Saif Ali Khan. Earning a total of Rs 500,000, Kapoor donated Rs 250,000 of her winnings to St. Anthony's Old Age Home, Bandra.^[52]

Personal life

Gossip columnists have linked Kapoor to a number of her co-stars but she has strongly denied all these rumors.^[16] In 2004, she began dating actor Shahid Kapoor, the son of veteran actor Pankaj Kapoor.^[53] 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.^[54] 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,^[55] it was later confirmed that the couple had indeed broken up.^[56] According to her, they remained on good terms, with her saying 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."^[57]

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!"^[58] Their relationship is frequently reported on in the media, and is often subject to press speculation of a possible engagement or marriage.^[59] However, both of them have denied these rumours.^[60][61]

In 2006, Kapoor declared that she would turn vegetarian in order to keep her weight in check.^[62]

In the media

Hailing from a family deeply involved in the film industry, despite making her acting debut in 2000, Kapoor faced the media spotlight from a very young age.^[13] As a teenager, Kapoor attended award ceremonies and events with her mother Babita and sister Karisma Kapoor and would also accompany her sister on set during filming.^[63] In recent years, in response to media speculation, Kapoor has developed a nonchalant relationship with the media and has gained a reputation for discussing her professional or private life with the press without any reservations.^[64][65]

In 2004, Kapoor was ranked third on Rediff's "Top Bollywood Female Stars".^[66] She was later ranked seventh and fifth in 2005–06 respectively, and came back to the third position in 2007.^[67][68][6] In addition to that, Kapoor has also frequently been featured in different lists by Rediff, including "Bollywood's Most Beautiful Actresses",^[69] "Bollywood's Hottest Heroines",^[70] "Bollywood's Best Dressed Women"^[71] and "Women of Many Faces".^[72]

During 2005, Kapoor made her first appearance on Karan Johar's talk show Koffee with Karan alongside Rani Mukerji whilst two years later, she appeared along with Shahid Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor. The following year, Kapoor appeared as a guest judge alongside Priyanka Chopra on the singing talent contest Indian Idol 2. A few months later, she modeled and walked the ramp along with Shahid Kapoor and actress Urmila Matondkar for Manish Malhotra's fashion display, Fashion Week 2006, titled Freedom.^[73]

In February 2007, Kapoor was listed fourth on Indiatimes' list of "Top 10 Hottest Actresses of Bollywood",^[74] and later that year, became the only actress to be featured among "The Highest Tax Payers of 2006-07".^[75] In July 2007, Kapoor was announced the winner of PETA's 2007 "Cutest Vegetarian Celebrities" online poll with actor R. Madhavan.^[76] Later that year, along with other Bollywood celebrities, the actress performed at the opening ceremony of Kapil Dev’s Indian Cricket League (ICL) in Chandigarh,^[77] and was ranked number 8 by the U.K. magazine, Eastern Eye, as one of "Asia's Sexiest Women".^[78]

Filmography

See also: List of Kareena Kapoor's awards and nominations

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2000	Refugee	Nazneen "Naaz" M. Ahmed	Winner, Filmfare Best Female Debut Award
2001	Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai	Pooja Saxena
	Yaadein	Isha Singh Puri
	Ajnabee	Priya Malhotra
	Asoka	Kaurwaki	Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award
	Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham	Pooja "Poo" Sharma	Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
2002	Mujhse Dosti Karoge!	Tina Kapoor
	Jeena Sirf Merre Liye	Pooja/Pinky
2003	Talaash: The Hunt Begins...	Tina
	Khushi	Khushi Singh (Lali)
	Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon	Sanjana
	LOC Kargil	Simran
2004	Chameli	Chameli	Winner, Filmfare Special Performance Award
	Yuva	Mira
	Dev	Aaliya	Winner, Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance
	Fida	Neha Mehra	First villain role
	Aitraaz	Priya Saxena/Malhotra
	Hulchul	Anjali
2005	Bewafaa	Anjali Sahai
	Kyon Ki	Dr. Tanvi Khurana
	Dosti: Friends Forever	Anjali
2006	36 China Town	Priya
	Chup Chup Ke	Shruti
	Omkara	Dolly R. Mishra	Winner, Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award
	Don - The Chase Begins Again	Kamini	Cameo
2007	Kya Love Story Hai	Herself	Special appearance (Item number)
	Jab We Met	Geet Dhillon	Winner, Filmfare Best Actress Award
2008	Halla Bol	Herself	Special appearance
	Tashan	Pooja Singh
	Golmaal Returns	Ekta	Releasing on October 24, 2008
	Roadside Romeo	Laila (voice)	Releasing on October 24, 2008 Voice over for first animated film
	Billo Barber		Guest appearance
	Main Aur Mrs. Khanna	Mrs. Khanna	Filming
	Kambakth Ishq		Filming
2009	Milenge Milenge	Priya	Delayed
	Three Idiots		Announced

See also

• List of Indian movie actresses
• List of Punjabis

Awards
Filmfare Awards
Preceded by TBD	Best Female Debut for Refugee 2001	Succeeded by Bipasha Basu for Ajnabee
Preceded by TBD	Special Performance for Chameli 2004	Succeeded by TBD
Preceded by Urmila Matondkar for Bhoot	Best Actress (Critics) for Dev 2005	Succeeded by Rani Mukerji for Black
Preceded by Rani Mukerji for Black	Best Actress (Critics) for Omkara 2007	Succeeded by Tabu for Cheeni Kum
Preceded by Kajol for Fanaa	Best Actress for Jab We Met 2008	Succeeded by TBD

References

Further reading

• Nambiar, Smitha. Kareena, the trendsetter. Indiainfo.com. November 22, 2004. Retrieved on February 23, 2008.
• Verma, Sukanya. Star of The Week - Kareena Kapoor. Rediff.com. October 30, 2002. Retrieved on November 21, 2007.
• Verma, Sukanya. 'I do not intend doing the David Dhawan kind of films'. Rediff.com. May 18, 2000. Retrieved on October 21, 2006.

External links

• Kareena Kapoor at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
NAME	Kapoor, Kareena
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Film actress
DATE OF BIRTH	September 20, 1980
PLACE OF BIRTH	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH