Kareena Kapoor: This Heroine is 34
Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is quietly proving that there is life after marriage in Bollywood, is 33 today. Kareena had just one film this year but it was a superhit - Rohit Shetty's Singham Returns opposite Ajay Devgn. As she celebrates her special day, we take a pictorial look at her life and times.
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Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, who is quietly proving that there is life after marriage in Bollywood, is 33 today. Kareena had just one film this year but it was a superhit - Rohit Shetty's Singham Returns opposite Ajay Devgn. As she celebrates her special day, we take a pictorial look at her life and times.
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Kareena, nicknamed as Bebo, has the acting bug embedded in her DNA. She is the granddaughter of legendary actor-director Raj Kapoor. She is the youngest daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita and sister of actress Karisma. The Kapoor family also includes several other actors - her great-grandfather Prithviraj, grand-uncles Shammi and Shashi, uncles Rishi and Rajiv, aunt-by-marriage Neetu, and cousins Ranbir and Armaan.
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As children, both Kareena and Karisma dreamed of becoming actresses. However, the Kapoor women traditionally did not act. Mother Babita and aunt Neetu had both quit their acting careers after getting married. But Babita supported her daughters' cinematic dreams, leading to conflict between her and Randhir Kapoor. In the end, she won a victory in the male bastion of Bollywood's first family. Karisma became the first Kapoor actress, followed by sister Kareena.
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Kareena attended Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai and Welham Girls Boarding School in Dehradun. She studied commerce for two years at Mithibai College in Mumbai. However, she disliked it there and studied only because she was close to her family. Kareena then registered for a three-month summer course in microcomputers at Harvard University in the United States. She later developed an interest in law and enrolled in the Government Law College in Churchgate. However, after completing one year at Churchgate, Kareena returned to her initial plan of becoming an actress.
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Next came Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai (2001) opposite Tusshar Kapoor. The film became one of the highest earners of the year. Kareena was lauded for her performance. The same year brought with it Santosh Sivan's epic Asoka, opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Her performance received mixed reactions from critics but Kareena received her first nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards.
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In 2006 came Omkara, Vishal Bhardwaj's Hindi adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello. The film saw Kareena play the desi Desdemona. Omkara premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was also selected for screening at the Cairo International Film Festival. Kareena's performance was critically acclaimed, earning her a fourth Filmfare Award.
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2012 was less kind to the actress. Three of her four releases were poorly received - - Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, Agent Vinod opposite beau Saif Ali Khan, and what was meant to be her magnum opus, Heroine. However, the year ended on a high note with Talaash, co-starring Aamir Khan and Rani Mukerji.