Actress Karisma Kapoor recently featured in a post for Humans Of Bombay, in which she opened up about the advice her actor grandfather Raj Kapoor gave her when she told him she wanted to be an actress. The 45-year-old actress, who made her Bollywood debut with the 1991 film Prem Qaidi, said Raj Kapoor told her that the film industry is "glamourous" but isn't rosy at all: "I loved the sets, camera and lights! I knew I wanted to become an actor and contribute to the family legacy. When I told my granddad, he said, 'It's glamourous but it's not a bed of roses - you will have to work very hard.' That stayed with me."
"I wanted to act but my inner voice made me doubt myself. But what motivated me was how grounded my mom kept me. Despite being from an 'illustrious' family, she made us live a simple life. My sister (actress Kareena Kapoor) and I travelled by school bus and went to college by local trains. My mom taught me how to stick to my roots and still be confident enough. She knew about my passion for acting and about my hesitation. I didn't want to falter and let anybody down. But she said that until I try, I'd never know. That's when I signed my first film - a remake of a South Indian movie!" she added.
Karisma Kapoor's first film Prem Qaidi was the Hindi remake of the 1990 Telugu film Prema Khaidi. The Hindi remake also starred Harish Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Dalip Tahil and Asrani. Talking about her first film, Karisma said: "While shooting, I gave my best. I had to 'make it' or 'break it'. And the movie was a success! As my career progressed, there were highs and lows. I had done a song called Sexy Sexy - I'd worked hard and even hurt my knees for it. I was appreciated for my dance but people thought the song was way ahead of its time - the word 'Sexy' wasn't common back then. But that's when my mom said that it's an actor's job to entertain. I can't let one roadblock affect it."
Karisma Kapoor, who co-starred with Madhuri Dixit and Shah Rukh Khan in the 1997 film Dil Toh Pagal Hai, said she didn't "shy away" to join the team, when no actress wanted to be cast against Madhuri Dixit. "Even when I was offered Dil Toh Pagal Hai, when no actress wanted to be cast against Madhuri Dixit. I didn't want to shy away because 'I thought I couldn't do it.' I did the film and even won a National Award for it!" Karisma won the National Award for the Best Supporting Actress for the film in 1997.
The Raja Hindustani actress said that since then, she has never let her doubts get the better of her: "From then on, whenever I've wondered if I was capable enough - be it in my choice of films, being a single mom or in my relationships, I've never let my doubts get the better of me. We live in a world where there will always be roadblocks, people to bog you down and things that may not work out. That's why you have to be your biggest strength and not let your voice, at any point, become your weakness."
Read Karisma Kapoor's entire post:
Karisma Kapoor has featured in several box office hits such as Jigar, Anari, Raja Babu, Coolie No. 1, Saajan Chale Sasural, Biwi No.1 and Fiza. She will next be seen in the web-series Mentalhood.
