From the adorably vain Poo to the free-spirited Geet, Kareena Kapoor Khan has delivered some memorable performances.
IMAGE: Kareena Kapoor Khan in Daayra.
Key Points
- Kareena Kapoor Khan is set to star in Meghna Gulzar’s Daayra, playing DCP Ajooni Kohli in a film inspired by true incidents of police encounters.
- Her career highlights include a confident debut in Refugee (2000) and iconic roles like ‘Poo’ in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and ‘Geet’ in Jab We Met (2007).
- Kareena has demonstrated versatility in performance-oriented roles such as a sex worker in Chameli (2003) and Talaash (2012), and a nuanced portrayal in Omkara (2006).
Kareena Kapoor Khan has become extremely choosy these days, which makes us quite intrigued whenever her new movie drops.
The actress, who almost starred in Geetu Mohandas’ Toxic (phew!), takes the lead in Meghna Gulzar’s Daayra. Working with the Talvar and Sam Bahadur director for the first time, Kareena plays DCP Ajooni Kohli, a police officer who is brought in to investigate the human rights violations stemming from a police encounter that killed young men accused of being rapists.
Prithviraj Sukumaran plays the other lead, the police officer who headed the encounter. The movie draws inspiration from true-life incidents of cops trying to mete out ‘street justice’ to alleged criminals before the courts could convict them.
Daayra, hitting theatres on September 18 (interestingly, just a week after Haiwaan, which starred her husband), looks like yet another solid outing for Kareena Kapoor Khan. She has clearly shifted her focus towards taking up more performance-oriented roles.
While we are thoroughly enjoying this serious side of the actress, we would also love it if a filmmaker offered her a role like Poo from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham or Geet from Jab We Met. A role that allows Kareena to go adorably hammy, without pushing into the overboard territory we experienced in Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon and Khushi.
So, while we wait for Kareena to deliver what looks like another impressive outing in Daayra, Sreeju Sudhakaran lists his 10 favourite performances from the actress, starting right from her striking debut in 2000.
Refugee (2000)
IMAGE: Kareena Kapoor in Refugee.
Refugee was a cross-border love story that served as this huge launchpad for two high profile nepo-kids, which was simply too long and too kitschy for its own good.
It was largely considered a major disappointment from Director J P Dutta, who had delivered a big blockbuster in Border just a couple of years prior. Yet, one of the strong points of Refugee (aside from Anu Malik’s highly melodious soundtrack) was the performances of its two debutants, especially Kareena Kapoor as the feisty, determined young woman who falls for the ‘refugee’ (played by Abhishek Bachchan) helping her family migrate from East Pakistan to the West.
It is the kind of confident, fledgling performance that instantly makes you realise she is a lambi race ki ghodi, even if her surname provided the racetrack.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)
IMAGE: Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.
I hated ‘Poo’ when I watched Karan Johar’s second directorial for the first time. I was irked by her shallowness, her annoying drawl, and the fact that humility is a bone that simply did not exist in her pretty body. Yet, I couldn’t help but not take my eyes off her.
Her character flaws come with calculated design. ‘Poo’ is supposed to be artificial, vain and shallow and Kareena delivers on those traits almost naturally without making her feel detestable.
This remains one of her most iconic performances because she plays so well with those quirks that we just can’t imagine anyone playing that role with such pizzazz.
You cannot help but roll your eyes along with hers when she starts rating her fellow students, or disapprovingly smile when she shudderingly declares ‘minus’ to some poor soul!
Chameli (2003)
IMAGE: Kareena Kapoor in Chameli.
Chameli is the exact kind of movie young, talented actors pick up when they need to prove they can do more than just play the good-looking lead in a blockbuster.
Sudhir Mishra took over the reins after the original director Anant Balani passed away during the shoot.
Kareena played a street-walker, who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a lonely soul (Rahul Bose) over the course of a single night.
There is a sense of mischief in how she flirts with Bose’s character. But it is in showing the vulnerable, scared and even unapologetic side of the character that Kareena truly proves her mettle.
Omkara (2006)
IMAGE: Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor in Omkara.
Vishal Bhardwaj’s brilliant reimagining of Shakespeare’s Othello, set in the gangster hinterlands of Uttar Pradesh, is best remembered for Ajay Devgn’s brooding titular performance, Saif Ali Khan’s memorable grey turn as Langda Tyagi, and Bipasha Basu gyrating to Beedi Jalaile.
If Kareena’s performance does not immediately jump to mind, it is not because it wasn’t outstanding. It certainly was.
The brilliance of her performance lies entirely in her underplaying the character, who clearly serves as the emotional anchor of the film. Kareena perfectly captures a woman dooming herself by falling for a man incapable of bringing trust into their relationship.
Her Dolly Mishra (the desi Desdemona) might have very little to say in the violent political games of men willing to destroy her world, but the actress delivers a poignantly nuanced performance entirely through her forlorn expressions and uneasy sighs.
Jab We Met (2007)
IMAGE: Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor in Jab We Met.
No matter how many impressive movies she has done or will do in the future, Kareena’s legacy will always be dominated by two characters: K3G‘s Poo and Jab We Met‘s Geet. If asked to choose a favourite, I am sure the vast majority would pick the latter.
The brilliant creation of Imtiaz Ali’s bohemian mind, Geet is a pure force of nature: Wild, carefree and fiercely following her heart, who take a dejected turn when that wind is suddenly stolen from beneath her feet.
Kareena was born to play this role, delivering an honest, layered and perfectly structured act that animatedly captures the two distinct shades of Geet. She is the spark that lights up this always-rewatchable romcom, and it is telling how cold you feel when that smile vanishes off Geet’s face after facing what she sees as a betrayal.
Tashan (2008)
IMAGE: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan in Tashan.
Tashan is perhaps best remembered for Kareena popularising the term ‘size zero’ among fans. But that much-talked-about bikini scene (which glamorised an unhealthy concept in real life) was just a small aspect of a genuinely fun performance.
Vijay Krishna Acharya’s debut film was wildly inconsistent, a flaw perfectly reflected in its characters. Before her character shifts into revenge mode, Kareena is easily saucy and entertaining as the wily Pooja, a woman who knows exactly how to play with the feelings of men for her own gain.
Notwithstanding how glamorous she looks on screen, Kareena imbues the performance with a self-aware confidence that makes it a truly seductive act.
Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (2012)
IMAGE: Kareena Kapoor and Imran Khan in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu.
Shakun Batra’s lovely debut is an unconventional (by Bollywood standards, anyway) romcom that explores the friendship between a younger, cuckolded man and a slightly older, far more confident woman.
Since ‘confidence’ has always been Kareena’s go-to onscreen calling card, she is effervescent as the assured and charming Riana Braganza. Her chemistry with Imran Khan clearly shines through and through.
They paired up again a couple of years later in Gori Tere Pyaar Mein (again from the same production house), but sadly, that romcom lacked the freshness of their first collaboration.
Talaash: The Answer Lies Within (2012)
IMAGE: Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor in Talaash: The Answer Lies Within.
Kareena Kapoor wins Reema Kagti’s riveting investigation saga over with consummate ease, despite sharing screen space with stalwarts like Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji and a then-rising Nawazuddin Siddiqui (and Rajkummar Rao, for that matter).
Playing a sex worker with a heart of gold yet again, Kareena brings a teasing seductiveness to the portrayal that lights up this brooding drama whenever she appears on screen.
She then infuses it with a sort of mystical aloofness that makes total sense as the movie proceeds towards revealing a shocking twist regarding her character.
Laal Singh Chaddha (2022)
IMAGE: Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor in Laal Singh Chaddha.
There is no doubt that Kareena Kapoor is the best thing about this well-intentioned but inconsistent (and unjustified) remake of Forrest Gump (with her male co-star and producer being severely miscast).
Taking on the role made memorable by Robin Wright in the original, Advait Chandan’s film snaps out of its stupor whenever Kareena lands on screen as the doomed Rupa, a woman who endures the worst of life before the protagonist walks back into it (and even after).
It is a complicated character carrying plenty of emotional baggage, and Kareena heartbreakingly depicts the morally conflicted nature of the role.
The Buckingham Murders (2024)
IMAGE: Kareena Kapoor in The Buckingham Murders.
While her character, ‘Jass’ Bhamra, is a far cry from the bubbly nature of her popular early roles, Kareena retains the unique quality of making even uber-serious ones look fascinating.
She is totally in command as the no-nonsense and the grieving British detective in Hansal Mehta’s slow-burn, disturbing investigation drama.
Kareena sparkles in delivering the lead character’s emotional turmoil and intense anguish, while still occasionally displaying show-stealing glimpses of her famous ‘queen of sass’ side through her sharp rebukes.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
