"Acting is not about being famous; it's about exploring the human soul" ---Annette Benning
It was Salman (Khan) who introduced me to Lolo (Karisma Kapoor) during her first filmPrem Quaidi. We used to hang out together and even back then (1990-91) I would always hear Lolo talk about Bebo, her sister who was studying in Welham Girls School, Dehradun. Lolo was and will always be obsessed with Bebo, whom she calls her first-born.
My first encounter with Bebo was on the sets of Patther Ke Phool, during the famous song sequence Kabhi Tu Chaliya Lagta Hai. Raveena Tandon was being launched opposite Salman and they were shooting for the number at Filmistan Studios that day. I spotted this fair, chubby little girl with bright green eyes standing at the shoot and watching the proceedings very intently. She had accompanied her sister to the studio that day. During the break, Salman said to me, "Meet Kareena Kapoor! She'll be the number one star in the next 15 years!" His dramatic statement took me by surprise. I looked at the 14-year-old standing in front of me - and despite her obvious grit and determination, I questioned Salman about his prediction, but he was completely sure of himself.
A couple of years later came the inevitable Kareena Kapoor launch'. Bebo's launch pad was to be Kaho Na Pyaar Hai opposite Hrithik Roshan. I was designing his clothes and Manish Malhotra was to do Bebo's wardrobe. Everything was locked four months prior to the date filming was to commence. On D-day, Bebo gave her first shot, but after the first day of the shoot, she left the film for reasons best known to her. Interestingly, that shot has been retained in the film and she can still be seen in a long shot.
Eventually, she was launched by J.P. Dutta in Refugee, opposite Abhishek Bachchan. Kareena became a heroine who was recognised for being both beautiful and talented --- a combination that's deadly in the film industry.
Bebo and I used to meet regularly, as we got on like a house on fire! Always a live wire, Bebo would entertain us --- she is outrageously funny. In fact we liken her to a television news channel --- she loves knowing about people's daily lives and her questions range from, ''How many maids do you have?'' to ''What do you give them for dinner?'' and go as far as, ''What are your monthly expenses?'' If she finds you interesting, she will genuinely take an interest in your life and become a part of it. But the opposite also holds true --- she will immediately disconnect if you don't hold her interest.
As a friend she is like a rainbow --- she brightens up your life when you have been through a storm. Bebo is the best friend anyone could ever have, the best daughter and the best girlfriend ever. I perceive her as the eternal giver. On a fun level she knows everything that's going on in the film industry --- who has signed which film, who's been thrown out or who has left a particular film. I speak to her everyday and if for some reason we miss catching up, I invariably get a BB message from her saying "GUP ???" That's all! And I always wonder how she gets the time to gather so much info, while being the perfect friend, daughter and girlfriend.
On the professional front, Karan (Johar) soon signed her for K3G (Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham) the magnum opus of Dharma Productions. The infamous outdoor schedule in London was my most memorable outdoor shot. That's where Bebo and I became besties - friends who cared without hesitation, who remembered without limitation and who loved without even communication. Night-outs were always fun during that schedule comprising Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra, Niranjan Iyengar, Bebo and the other stars in the film. Poo' (Kareena's character in K3G) became iconic and every youngster imitated her mannerisms. However, circumstances took a nasty turn for her when she had a fall-out with Karan because of which she went through a very difficult phase personally. Needless to say all this affected her films. It was around this time that Lolo also got married and this left a deep void in Bebo's life. She lost out on big banner films like Kal Ho Na Ho andVeer Zaara. It was during these trying times that she realised who her true friends were. It was also around this time that she started dating Shahid Kapoor.
I became Shahid's designer and we all grew very close --- almost like family. Reenaa, Bebo's childhood friend and I rallied round her and we stuck together. Career-wise Bebo was in the doldrums and nothing was really working out. She faced all her problems with courage and resilience. That was when she decided to take a break from films and stayed at home for eight months --- it was a very trying time, one during which Bebo wanted to evaluate her career. During this sabbatical, however, Bebo got an offer from a promising new director called Imtiaz Ali, who had made the interesting film, Socha Na Tha.
Shahid, Manish Malhotra, Bebo and I were listening to the narration together and within 20 minutes of hearing the storyline, Bebo got up and said, "I am doing the film" and left the room. Geet (Kareena's character) from Jab We Met became a huge success and Bebo won every award in the country. Karan's father's death brought Bebo and him close together again and they resolved their differences. Everything became hunky-dory - the brother-sister duo (Karan-Bebo) started hanging out together and the inevitable happened --- a film!
To avid moviegoers, Bebo represents the essence of on screen, dramatic art intelligence and refinement. She demonstrates a transcendent ability to plunge into her characters and lose herself inside them, physically transforming herself to meet the demands of her roles. Her persona encompasses a fragile beauty that allows her to traverse a spectrum of emotions that range from the earthy to the ethereal. These qualities have made her every thinking director's first choice today!
In 2007 my father suffered a stroke that left him totally paralysed and he was in hospital for months. Bebo would come to visit me every day and if she missed the hospital timings, she would be home to have dinner with me. There were a lot of dramatic changes that took place in both our lives during that phase --- she in her personal life and me with my family. We both got our strength from each other. Immediately after this I remember both of us being on outdoors schedules. She was in Ladakh and I was in Toronto. And despite being in different time zones, we would still speak to each other three times a day. This was a very trying time - she was getting out of a relationship with Shahid and I was with him on location in Toronto. It was a tough time for me because Bebo can be intensely demanding emotionally. I lost five kilos during that period! Today I can laugh it off, but those days, it felt like torture.
Bebo as a person has mellowed over the last five years, though her childlike qualities still remain. I would definitely attribute this calmness to her husband Saif Ali Khan who seems to have brought a lot of stability into her life. She has learnt to detach her personal life from her professional one - something Saif mastered long ago.
Bebo and Saif's wedding was an event to remember. Lolo, Reenaa and I worked very hard to ensure that she had the best of everything, even though she was quite the Bridezilla! There was a time when nothing seemed to please her and we were left tearing our hair out. But those minor hiccups were sorted out and everything went smoothly after that. When it was over, Bebo became very emotional and thanked all of us for being by her side. This is what endears her to us. She has a fiery temper but she will never be confrontational and when she is serene and calm she is like the soothing balm you need to ease all your worries away! Bebo is special in so many ways --- as a daughter she dotes on her mother, as a sister she idolises Lolo and as a friend she blends into your life seamlessly.
There are women who make things better --- simply by showing up. There are those who make things happen and who chart their own course. There are women who make a difference and those who make us smile. And there are women who are witty and wise and who change the world everyday... What else can I say about Bebo? She is all this and more!
Kumkum Bhagya
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