Kareena was Bollywood’s first actress whose four consecutive films – ‘3 Idiots’, ‘Golmaal 3’, ‘Bodyguard’ and ‘Ra.One’ – earned more than ₹100 crore.
Kareena Kapoor, who was born on 21 September 1980, turns 46 today. In a career spanning more than roughly two and a half decades, Kareena has played a wide range of characters in Hindi cinema. While she was initially recognised as the heroine of glamorous and commercial films, over time she chose roles in which the story and depth of the character were more prominent than glamour.
Kareena made her acting debut with the film ‘Refugee’ in 2000. Films such as ‘Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai’, ‘Ajnabee’ and ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ subsequently established her as a prominent actress in mainstream cinema. In particular, the character of Poo, or Pooja Sharma, in ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ became a major part of her glamorous image.
In 2000, Kareena made her debut opposite Abhishek Bachchan in J.P. Dutta’s film ‘Refugee’, for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
For the next few years, romantic, glamorous and commercial films dominated Kareena’s career. She appeared as a mainstream heroine in films such as ‘Mujhse Dosti Karoge!’, ‘Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon’, ‘Khushi’ and ‘Kyunki’. However, during this period, she also took on roles that paved the way for a shift in the direction of her career.
Dialogues such as “‘Poo’ (Pooja) saying, ‘Hello… who is this, who didn’t turn around to look at me? Who is that?'” are still on people’s lips today.
‘Chameli’ changed her image
The biggest change in Kareena’s career came with the 2004 film ‘Chameli’. In it, she played a sex worker. This was completely different from the glamorous roles she had played earlier.
Kareena’s performance in the film Chameli was praised, and she also received the Filmfare Special Performance Award.
That same year, she played a woman in the film Dev whose life is affected by the violence of the Gujarat riots. She then played Dolly Mishra in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara, a character inspired by Desdemona from Shakespeare’s Othello. She received the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for both Dev and Omkara.
In other words, Kareena’s career shift was not limited to a single film. After Chameli, she began showing that she did not want to be confined to the role of a glamorous heroine.
‘Jab We Met’: The strength of the character mattered more than glamour
Released in 2007, ‘Jab We Met’ is regarded as one of the most memorable films of Kareena’s career. She played the character of Geet in the film. Geet was certainly bubbly and talkative, but her character was not centred solely around glamour. Much of the story focused on her personality, decisions and the changes in her life.
Kareena received the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role as Geet.
The many shades of her career seen in 2012
2012 was a significant year in Kareena’s career, as she played completely different kinds of roles in the same year. She appeared in a light-hearted role in ‘Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’, while in ‘Heroine’ she played a troubled and unstable film actress.
In ‘Heroine’, her character, Mahi Arora, struggles with the insecurity and personal problems hidden behind the glamour of the film industry. That year, Kareena also played Rosie in ‘Talaash’, a character who was an important part of the film’s mysterious story.
In ‘Talaash’ (2012), Kareena played the mysterious character Rosie, who is a crucial link in the film’s murder-mystery story.
A significant shift then began to emerge in Kareena’s filmography. She continued to be part of major commercial films, while also choosing roles that offered her greater scope to showcase her acting. **Her acting range did not change even after marriage and motherhood** Kareena married Saif Ali Khan in 2012. Even after that, she did not completely distance herself from films. She appeared in films such as ‘Singham Returns’ and ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ despite having limited screen time. In ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, she played the role of Rasika.
In 2016, ‘Ki & Ka’ and ‘Udta Punjab’ once again showcased her versatility. In ‘Ki & Ka’, she played an ambitious woman focused on her career, while in ‘Udta Punjab’, she portrayed Dr Preet Sahni. The film revolved around the problem of drug abuse in Punjab.
In her second phase, stories took precedence over glamour
Looking at Kareena’s recent work, the number of intense and serious stories in her films has increased. Amid commercial films such as ‘Veere Di Wedding’ and ‘Good Newwz’, she also worked in ‘Angrezi Medium’.
‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ was released in 2022, in which she played the role of Rupa. She later appeared as Maya D’Souza in the Netflix film ‘Jaane Jaan’ in 2023.
‘Jaane Jaan’ was Kareena’s streaming debut. In the film, she played a woman trying to escape her past and build a new life. Kareena was seen here in a completely different avatar from her earlier glamorous roles.
‘The Buckingham Murders’ followed in 2024. Kareena played British-Indian detective Jasmeet ‘Jass’ Bhamra, who investigates the murder of a child. The film marked Kareena’s first appearance in such a serious investigative role.
She also made her debut as a producer with ‘The Buckingham Murders’.
Kareena plays a police officer in ‘Daayra’
The 2026 film ‘Daira’ has now joined Kareena’s run of intense films. Directed by Meghna Gulzar, the film features Kareena as DCP Ajooni Kohli. Prithviraj Sukumaran also plays DCP Raman Kumar in the film.
Released on 18 September, ‘Daira’ revolves around a serious crime and the police investigation that follows. Kareena’s character investigates an encounter, bringing questions of law, justice and police accountability to the fore.
Kareena Kapoor plays DCP Ajooni Kohli, an honest police officer who believes in conducting impartial investigations while staying within the bounds of the law.
Kareena’s screen image has changed over 26 years
Looking at Kareena Kapoor’s career, it would not be accurate to describe it simply as a transition from ‘glamorous to serious’. At different stages of her career, she has worked in commercial, romantic, comedy, drama, thriller and social issue-based films.
