Career
Debut and breakthrough, 2000-2003
Kapoor was initially scheduled to make her debut in Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000), opposite the director's son Hrithik Roshan. 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."
Kapoor made her debut later that year in J.P. Dutta's war drama Refugee. Set during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971, the film centers on a man known simply as Refugee (played by debutant Abhishek Bachchan) who illegally transports civilians back and forth across the Indo-Pakistani border. Kapoor played Naaz, a Bangladeshi girl who falls in love with Refugee while illegally migrating to Pakistan. Her debut performance was acclaimed by critics; Taran Adarsh of india FM 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. There's no denying the fact that she is a natural performer who is very camera friendly." Refugee was the fifth-highest grossing film in India in 2000, and Kapoor's performance earned her the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award.
Kapoor's first role in 2001 was in the romantic drama Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, which became one of the highest earners of the year. A review in The Hindu noted that, "Kareena is definitely the actress to watch out for, if her debut with Abhishek in Refugee and now Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai are any indication. Kareena shines throughout the flick, with the grace of a seasoned sizzler already." She next starred in Subhash Ghai's family drama Yaadein alongside Jackie Shroff and Hrithik Roshan. The drama centers on the character of Raj Singh Puri, a middle-class man and his daughters' marriages. Kapoor played the part of the youngest daughter and Roshan's love interest, Isha Singh Puri. Upon release, the film met with mixed critical reaction and garnered poor box office returns. Kapoor then appeared in the Abbas-Mustan thriller Ajnabee. The film, based on Consenting Adults (1992), was a moderate box office success in India.
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, Kapoor portrayed the character of Kaurwaki, a princess of Kalinga with whom Ashoka falls in love. While the film received generally positive reviews, Kapoor's performance received a mixed reaction from some critics. Rediff.com concluded, "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". Nonetheless, her performance was praised by some critics and earned her a first nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards.
Kapoor's final release of 2001 was the drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, directed by Karan Johar. The film, which featured an ensemble cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Hrithik Roshan, emerged as the second-highest-grossing film of the year in India and Kapoor's biggest commercial success, with a domestic total of Rs 490 million (US$ 10.09 million). It also performed well internationally and became India's second biggest Bollywood success of all time in the overseas market, earning over Rs 350 million (US$ 7.21 million). Her performance as "Poo" was well-received by critics and earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination.
During 2002 and 2003, Kapoor 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. Kapoor's performances were often identified by many critics as unoriginal and repetitive, with little inspiration. They expressed concern that she was becoming typecast but these negative reviews were fundamental in motivating her to improve her integrity as an actress in subsequent years by accepting more demanding roles.
Turning point, 2004–2006
Following the negative period in Kapoor'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, Kapoor played a prostitute in Chameli opposite Rahul Bose. The film relates the story of a young prostitute who meets with a widowed investment banker and follows the development of their relationship as they share their devastating life experiences. Chameli received predominantly positive reviews and Kapoor's performance was generally well-received by critics, with theIndia times praising Kapoor's "intuitive brilliance" and stating that she had exceeded all expectations. However, another reviewer expressed concern that they found her portrayal unconvincing and excessively stereotypical, describing her as, "sounding more like a teenager playacting than a brash, hardened streetwalker" and likening her mannerisms to that of a caricature. Nonetheless, Kapoor's performance garnered her the Filmfare Special Performance Award and marked a change in direction in her career as an actress.
Kapoor then appeared alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Fardeen Khan in Govind Nihalani's critically acclaimed film Dev, which revolved around the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots in the Indian state of Gujarat. Kapoor'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. 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."
Shortly afterwards, Kapoor was cast in her first villainous role in the thriller Fida opposite Shahid Kapoor and Fardeen Khan. The film deals with Internet theft and the Mumbai underworld with which her character Neha Mehra becomes involved. Although the film failed commercially, Kapoor received positive reviews for her performance, with some critics noting a distinct progression from her earlier roles. Her subsequent releases that year included Abbas-Mustan's moderately successful thriller Aitraaz and Priyadarshan's comedy Hulchul, her first box office success since 2002.
In 2005, she starred in the Dharmesh Darshan directed drama Bewafaa. Kapoor played the role of the Indo-Canadian Anjali, who marries her sister's husband after her death, but is unsatisfied with the ensuing married life and resumes a relationship with her previous boyfriend. The film received mostly negative reviews and Kapoor's performance was not well-received. Nikhat Kazmi of India times believed that in an effort to become a serious actress, Kapoor was embodying a maturer, more jaded character ahead of her years in Bewafaa which appeared peculiar for a young girl of her age.
Later that year, she appeared in Priyadarshan's romantic drama Kyon Ki. The drama, set in a psychiatric hospital, relates the love story of a mentally ill patient, played by Salman Khan, and his physician, played by Kapoor. The film was a box office failure, though Kapoor's performance was generally well-received by critics, with the BBC reporting, "It goes without saying that she is a pure natural when it comes to acting." Kapoor then featured in the romance Dosti: Friends Forever alongside Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, and Lara Dutta. While not a success in India, the film became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2005 in the United Kingdom.
In 2006, Kapoor appeared in three films. She first starred in the thriller 36 China Town followed by the comedy Chup Chup Ke; both films performed reasonably well. She next portrayed the Shakespearean character of Desdemona in Omkara, the Hindi adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the film is a tragedy of sexual jealousy set against the backdrop of the political system in Uttar Pradesh. The film premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was also selected for screening at the Cairo International Film Festival. Omkara was well-received by critics and Kapoor's performance was critically acclaimed, earning her a fourth Filmfare Award and first Star Screen Award. Rediff.com concluded, "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." Kapoor herself considers her role in Omkara as a "new benchmark" in her career and has made comparisons between her portrayal of Dolly and her own evolving maturity as a woman.
Recent work, 2007–present
In 2007, Kapoor 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, Kapoor 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$ 6.24 million). Kapoor 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."
Following Jab We Met, Kapoor featured alongside Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, and Anil Kapoor in the action-thriller Tashan (2008). Though an india FM poll named it the most anticipated film of the year,Tashan eventually became a commercial and critical failure. Kapoor next provided her voice for the character of Laila, the love interest of a street dog named Romeo, in the Yash Raj Films and Walt Disney Pictures animated film Roadside Romeo. It was the second Bollywood film to receive a North American release by a Hollywood studio. In preparation for her role, Kapoor viewed several Hollywood animated films to analyse how actors delivered their dialogues. Kapoor was criticised for failing to promote the film as she ventured into other projects.
Kapoor next starred in Rohit Shetty's comedy Golmaal Returns, the sequel to the 2006 film Golmaal. A part of an ensemble cast that included Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Amrita Arora, Celina Jaitley, and Anjana Sukhani, Kapoor played a distrustful wife who believed her husband to be unfaithful. The film received a mixed reception from critics and Kapoor herself received mixed reviews. The Indian Express believed the screenplay was unoriginal, concluding, "There is nothing particularly new about a suspicious wife keeping tabs on her husband, and there is nothing particularly new in the way Kareena plays it." Golmaal Returns was nonetheless a major financial success, with revenues of over Rs 500 million (US$ 10.3 million) domestically.
As of March 2009, Kapoor has completed filming for the romantic drama Kambakkht Ishq alongside Akshay Kumar. The film is the first Indian film in history to be shot within Universal Studios Hollywood, California and features several cameo appearances from Hollywood actors. Upon release, the film met with negative reviews for "horrible screenplay", vulgarity and "unpalatable racial bits." She has also completed filming Prem Soni's drama Main Aur Mrs. Khanna in which she is to star alongside Salman Khan. Kapoor was also cast as the lead in Rajkumar Hirani's Three Idiots, which began principal photography in July 2008. The romantic comedy film Milenge Milenge is also scheduled for a late 2009 release, having been postponed since 2005.
In the media
Hailing from a family deeply involved in the film industry, Kapoor faced the media spotlight from a very young age despite not making her acting debut until 2000. As a child, Kapoor attended award ceremonies and events with her mother Babita and sister Karisma Kapoor, and would also accompany her sister on set during filming. In previous years, in response to media speculation, Kapoor had developed a nonchalant relationship with the media and gained a reputation for discussing her professional or private life with the press with few reservations.
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, she appeared as a guest judge along with Priyanka Chopra on the singing talent contest Indian Idol 2. Several months later, Kapoor was chosen alongside actors Shahid Kapoor and Urmila Matondkar to model and walk the ramp for designer Manish Malhotra's fashion display, titled Freedom, during Fashion Week 2006. In 2007, Kapoor was among several Bollywood celebrities to perform at the opening ceremony of Kapil Dev’s Indian Cricket League (ICL) in Chandigarh. In June 2008, Kapoor modelled once again for Manish Malhotra's fashion display at the 2008 IIFA Fashion Extravaganza.
Kapoor annually features in many polls in the media. In 2004, she was ranked third on Rediff's "Top Bollywood Female Stars". She was later ranked seventh and fifth in 2005–2006 respectively, and came back to the third position in 2007. In February 2007, Kapoor appeared fourth on India times list of "Top 10 Hottest Actresses of Bollywood", and later that year, the actress was ranked eighth by the U.K. magazine Eastern Eye as one of "Asia's Sexiest Women". Kapoor has also won numerous vegetarian online polls, being declared the female winner of PETA India's "Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities" successively in 2007 and 2008. In March 2009, she became the only woman to be featured on Filmfare Magazine's annual "Power List", a list of the ten most powerful people of Bollywood.
