Journey In Bollywood
Fondly referred to as Bebo, Kareena Kapoor, has literally made her way into the heart of millions of fans through the different characters she has portrayed in her films over the years. She made her debut later that year in J.P. Dutta's war drama Refugee. Kareena played Naaz, a Bangladeshi girl who falls in love with Refugee while illegally migrating to Pakistan. Her debut performance was acclaimed by critics. Refugee was the fifth-highest grossing film in India in 2000, and Kapoor's performance earned her the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award.
Kareena's next was in 2001, the romantic drama Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, which became one of the highest earners of the year. However, subsequent releases such as Yaadein and Ajnabee were both critical and commercial failures. Later in the year, she starred in Santosh Sivan's period epic Asoka, a partly fictionalized account of the life of Ashoka the Great. The film had a strong release in the United Kingdom and North America, and was screened at the Venice Film Festival and the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival. Featured opposite Shahrukh Khan who played Ashoka, Kareena portrayed the character of Kaurwaki, a princess of Kalinga with whom Ashoka falls in love. While the film received generally positive reviews, Kareena's performance received a mixed reaction from some critics. Nonetheless, her performance was praised by some critics and earned her a first nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards.
Kareena's final release of 2001 was the drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, directed by Karan Johar. The film, which featured an ensemble cast, emerged as the second-highest-grossing film of the year in India and Kareena's biggest commercial success, with a domestic total of Rs 490 million (US$ 10.44 million). Her performance as 'Poo' was well received by critics, and earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination.
During 2002 and 2003, Kareena experienced a slump in her career. She featured in six films — 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 — all of which proved critically and commercially unsuccessful in India.
Following the negative period in Kareena's career, 2004 marked the beginning of her work in more serious films, most of which would bring her critical acclaim rather than commercial success. Under the direction of Sudhir Mishra, Kareena played a prostitute in Chameli opposite Rahul Bose. Chameli received predominantly positive reviews and Kareena's performance was generally well-received by critics, with the Indiatimes praising Kareena's 'intuitive brilliance' and stating that she had exceeded all expectations. Nonetheless, Kareena's performance garnered her the Filmfare Special Performance Award and marked a change in direction in her career as an actress.
Kareena then appeared opposite Amitabh Bachchan and Fardeen Khan in Govind Nihalani's critically acclaimed film Dev. Kareena's role was that of a Muslim victim named Aaliya, modelled after Zahira Sheikh, a key witness in Vadodara's Best Bakery case. The film earned her a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, as well as nominations for Best Actress at various award ceremonies.
In 2007, Kareena starred opposite Shahid Kapoor in Imtiaz Ali's romantic comedy Jab We Met. Relating the story of two people with contrasting personalities who meet on a train and eventually fall in love, Kareena played the female protagonist Geet Dhillon, a vivacious Sikh girl with a strong zest for life. The film was received favourably by critics and became one of the year's most successful films, earning a domestic total of Rs 303 million (US$ 6.45 million).
Kareena won several awards for her performance, including a Filmfare Best Actress Award and her 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." Thus Kareena Kapoor turned out to be one of the top heroines in Bollywood.
Now she has big banners tying to sign her and has been labeled as reigning queen of Bollywood. We wish the Queen Bee all the best for her future!
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