Indian actress Kareena Kapoor, who broke the bans of the Kapoor dynasty and was named in honor of a Leo Tolstoy character, is 46 years old

Indian actress Kareena Kapoor, who broke the bans of the Kapoor dynasty and was named after a Leo Tolstoy character, is 46 years old

Kareena Kapoor is a Bollywood film star, singer, dancer, and a representative of the fourth generation of the famous dynasty in the Indian film industry, namely the Kapoor family. The granddaughter of the legendary "blue-eyed king of Indian cinema" Raj Kapoor has not only become a prominent face of Indian cinema but also actively works to improve the lives of children and women in her country.

### The early years of the Bollywood star

Kareena was born on September 21, 1980, in Mumbai. She had to overcome an unbreakable tradition in the acting dynasty to begin her long and successful acting path.

In previous generations of the Kapoors, only men could be actors. This path was closed to the women of the family. Even actresses who married into this family were forced to abandon their careers in cinema.

This was also the case with Kareena's mother, Babita Shivdasani: she starred in twenty films before marrying Randhir Kapoor. After the wedding, in the mid-1970s, the actress left the world of cinema and dedicated herself to raising her two daughters.

### A difficult childhood

However, Babita decided to realize her unfulfilled dreams of future fame through her children. She ended her relationship with her husband in 1988, took her two daughters, and moved to Lokhandwala.

Randhir considered it impossible for his daughters to build an acting career. It was precisely because of the separation that Kareena and her sister Karisma managed to break the family tradition and become the first female actresses in the Kapoor dynasty. Kareena's mother supported her acting talent, always accompanied her daughter on film sets, and became her producer. Reconciliation and the reunion of the family took place in 2007, 19 years after the separation.

Kareena Kapoor's first choice was not acting. After graduating from a boarding school in Dehradun in her childhood, she studied economics for two years at Mithibai College. Then, deciding to try her hand in the legal field, she transferred to a law college. A year later, realizing she was not very interested in academic subjects, she enrolled in a theater institute to pursue her old dream.

### Films featuring the actress

Kareena made her screen debut at the age of twenty. Her first role in the film "Refugee" brought her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Later, the actress appeared alongside Bobby Deol in the melodrama "Ajnabee".

Kareena achieved popularity in her youth after starring in the film "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...". For her role in this project, which became the second highest-grossing super hit of 2001 in India, the actress did not receive an award, but she received positive reviews from critics.

In the same year, the actress's role in the historical drama "Asoka", which was screened at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals, brought her success. A 145-minute version of the film was prepared for international release, while in Indian cinemas, audiences watched the film for over 170 minutes. The actress was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and received critical acclaim.

The melodrama "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..." was a highly successful project that performed well at the box office. In this film, the actress starred alongside Bollywood stars such as Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Kajol.

With a budget of $7.5 million, the film became the second highest-grossing film in India in 2002 and grossed $13 million in foreign box offices. Kareena was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress, but the award went to her co-star Jaya Bachchan.

The success of these films made Kapoor a leading and highest-paid actress in Indian cinema, with her earnings from films reaching $190,000. However, all her subsequent projects in 2002–2003 suffered commercial failure, and critics evaluated her characters as clones of her character in the melodrama "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...". This forced the actress to reconsider her roles in the genre and create serious dramatic portrayals.

Kapoor's setbacks in her film career ended in 2004 when she starred for the first time in a film with a budget of $250,000. For her role in this film, she received a special jury recognition at the 49th Filmfare Awards.

Another successful film in 2004 was Govind Nihalani's "Dev". The actress stated in an interview that working with this director had been her long-held dream. She won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and demonstrated her vocal talent for the first time in her film career. Kareena contributed to the soundtrack by singing the song "Jab Nahin Aaye The Tum". This was an unusual experience for the actress because, as she admitted herself, her voice is not pleasant.

In 2006, Kareena starred in the drama "Omkara", based on William Shakespeare's play "Othello". The film was screened at the Cannes and Cairo International Film Festivals. Kapoor won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.

Director Imtiaz Ali's melodrama "Jab We Met" added another Filmfare Award to the actress's collection of accolades, and she was also recognized as best actress, receiving Star Guild, IIFA, and Zee Cine awards.

In 2009, Kapoor's role in the comedy film "Kambakkht Ishq" turned out to be successful, and her partner was the highest-paid Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar. Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards also starred in the film. According to rumors, the filmmakers also planned to invite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Beyoncé to the cast, but negotiations failed. This film is known as the first Indian film shot in Hollywood.

Apart from the film featuring Kareena, director Rajkumar Hirani's Indian comedy "3 Idiots", starring Aamir Khan, Madhavan, and Sharman Joshi, was recognized as the highest-grossing film of the entire Bollywood era in 2009. It remained on the cinematic Olympus for four years, with the project grossing $36 million in India and approximately $20 million at the box office worldwide. The box office record of this film was broken by the comedy "Chennai Express", starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone.

In 2015, the actress joined the cast of the Indian drama "Brothers", directed by Karan Malhotra, alongside Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra. The premiere of the remake of the Hollywood film "Warrior" coincided with India's Independence Day.

Los Angeles specialists were responsible for the professional preparation of the fight scenes, while the actors had to lose weight and undergo six months of training in several types of martial arts. Kareena was invited to the project to perform a dance scene. Despite the participation of famous actors, the film failed to recoup its $18 million budget and suffered a box office failure.

Her role in the comedy "Good Newwz" (filmed in 2019) added another nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress to Kareena's list of achievements.

### Personal life

Kareena Kapoor did not achieve family happiness easily either. She met Indian actor Saif Ali Khan in 2007. The warm relationship between them developed on the set of the film "Tashan". Saif Ali Khan's father, Mansur Ali Khan of Pataudi, was the captain of the Indian cricket team and also the Nawab of Pataudi from 1952 to 1971. His paternal grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan, was the eighth Nawab of Pataudi, and his grandmother, Sajida Sultan, was the Begum of Bhopal.

Even though the couple was with other people at that time, they did not hide their feelings. Kareena was dating actor Shahid Kapoor at the time, and Saif was married with two children.

This relationship shocked India — Saif divorced his wife and married Kareena. A modest wedding took place at home on October 16, 2012. This star couple is considered one of the most beautiful and talented representatives in India.

In 2016, Kareena gave birth to a son named Taimur Ali Khan, and in February 2021, another son named Jehangir Ali Khan Pataudi was born into the family.

In her acceptance speech for the Filmfare Award for her role in the film "Omkara", Kareena thanked her mother and emphasized that she had raised her children alone. She did not say a single word about her famous father.

Fans follow the actress's career and personal life. The actress has her own page on Instagram, where she posts photos related to her family and projects on the social network.

### Kareena's lifestyle

Since 2000, Kareena Kapoor has regularly performed her songs on concert tours around the world. In addition, the actress has published several books on weight loss and style of dress.

The actress's relatives call her Bebo. She was given this name because of the designer clothes Kapoor created. She became the first Indian actress to establish her own clothing brand.

The mother of two does not resemble models in terms of height (she is 165 cm tall), but she has an excellent figure. The actress works as an ambassador for several brands, including world-famous companies that produce sportswear and accessories.

The actress cooperates with UNICEF, participating in projects that support children's education programs, ensure women's safety, promote hygiene, and help reduce child mortality. Kareena has become the author of articles and a producer of documentary films on this topic.

Kapoor also funds charity projects herself and participates in fundraising. In 2010, she became the patron of a village in India, allocating money to provide the village with electricity.

### What is Kareena busy with now?

Currently, the actress continues her career in cinema. In 2022, Kareena Kapoor's creative biography was supplemented with the film "Laal Singh Chaddha", an Indian adaptation of the 1994 American film "Forrest Gump".

In the film directed by Advait Chandan, besides Kapoor, there were also Aamir Khan and Naga Chaitanya. With a budget of $22.2 million, the film received good reviews and grossed $16 million worldwide, which caused the project to suffer a commercial failure.

During her career, the actress has starred in films such as "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..." (2001), "Jeena Sirf Merre Liye" (2002), "Dev" (2004), "Kyon Ki" (2005), "Don" (2006), "Jab We Met" (2007), "Ki & Ka" (2016), "Laal Singh Chaddha" (2022), and others.

Kapoor is one of the few Indian actresses who accept roles without makeup.

While pregnant with her, the actress's mother read Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" and named her daughter Kareena in honor of another character from this work.

According to the actress, her favorite actors are her famous grandfather Raj Kapoor and Nargis, and her favorite films are "Awaara" and "Sangam", in which they became the main performers of these projects.