''I don't like Salman!'' - Kareena Kapoor in 2000 - Page 8

• Bipasha Basu: On the sets of Ajnabee, Kareena was allegedy irritated that Bipasha's costuming was receiving more attention than her own. Bipasha adds, "They mentioned that Kareena had called me kali billi ['black cat' -- an insult regarding the shade of Basu's skin]... and I was mad at her. Why rake up all this now? I'm not denying the tension between Kareena and me. Yet I'm not looking to take her on. Ajnabee is over and done with." (Filmfare, Jan 2002)

• And above all, Amisha Patel, whose role in Kaho Na...Pyaar Hai was originally intended to be Kareena's debut. The following is excerpted from an interview with Kareena in the March 2002 issue of Filmfare magazine:

Q: Why have you been making nasty statements about Amisha Patel then?
A: Listen, I have no problems with Amisha Patel. In fact, I even called her up after Gadar. I thought she was good and I told her so. Even at one of the award function I went up to her and said hello. If that's not graciousness then what is? What more can I do to make peace? On the contrary, her mother has been bitching about me to all and sundry. She's been going around saying that who does Kareena Kapoor think she is. She has given only flops. She'll never make it. Fine. So what happened to Amisha Patel's Zindagi Ka Safar? If Amisha's so confident of her talent then why is she screaming about her hits? Okay so I have given only flops. But why am I still being paid more than her? It's only talent that matters here. Raj Kapoor sold off his last shirt while making Mera Naam Joker. But he's considered the greatest showman even today. I have the talent. I'm confident. And I know I'll be remembered always. I don't want Amisha Patel's history hits. I don't want to be mediocre in hit films. I'd rather be brilliant in flop movies...

Q: It's said that you take potshots at her only because she's a threat to your position.
A: What nonsense? I carried Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai on my shoulders. Zindagi Ka Safar was riding on Amisha's shoulders. What happened?...

Q: Apparently, you refused to go on a world tour of stage shows with Amisha Patel. So the organisers had to replace her?
A: (Smirks) If she was a bigger star than me, I would have been replaced. So I rest my case.

If you're wondering why Kareena's name is sometimes spelled as 'Karienna,' 'Kariena,' and 'Kareina,' it's not because the journalists are illiterate. On the advice of a numerologist, Kareena temporarily changed the spelling of her name to make for a more auspicious combination of letters. The box-office failure of Asoka -- and perhaps the media's widespread confusion -- have prompted her to revert to the original, though not before starting a trend which has been eagerly followed by Shobhaa (formerly Shobha) De, Suniel (formerly Sunil) Shetty, Tushar (formerly Tusshar), and playback singer Sonu Niigam (formerly Nigam)