Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Karisma
Kapoor/Instagram
Born
with
baby
blue
eyes
and
one
of
the
most
famous
surnames
in
show
business,
Karisma
Kapoor’s
desire
to
become
a
Bollywood
actress
may
seem
ordinary
in
the
public
eye.
After
all,
growing
up
as
an
alumna
of
the
Cathedral
and
John
Connon
School,
participating
in
school
plays
(as
Rapunzel
and
even
Jesus
Christ
like
she
told
journalist
Karan
Thapar
in
an
interview
once),
acting
is
all
she
could
dream
about.
Except
neither
her
grandfather
Raj
Kapoor’s
iconic
RK
banner
nor
her
dad
Randhir
or
uncles
Rishi
and
Rajiv
would
be
the
ones
to
indulge
her
or
launch
her
as
is
the
norm
for
star
sons.
The
eldest
daughter
of
actors
Babita
and
Randhir
Kapoor
would
chart
her
own
course,
independently
and
ably.
It
wasn’t
a
cake
walk
by
any
stretch.
Even
the
biggest
critics
of
nepotism
will
give
her
that.
Karisma,
fondly
known
as
Lolo
to
her
family
and
friends,
was
barely
16
when
she
made
her
entry
in
the
movies.
Drum
roll?
Not
exactly.
When
her
big
ticket
debut
opposite
Dharmendra’s
son
Bobby
Deol
in
their
home
production
Barsaat
(later
offered
to
Twinkle
Khanna)
took
too
long
to
take
off,
she
chose
to
walk
out
and
star
in
producer
D
Rama
Naidu’s
low
stakes
remake
of
his
Telugu
hit
opposite
child
actor
turned
hero,
Harish.
You
can
imagine
how
many
hotshot
egos
that
one
bold
move
alone
must
have
hurt.
But
the
real
flak
followed
when
her
first
film
Prem
Qaidi
hit
the
screens.
Everything
about
the
over-the-top,
awkward
teenybopper
romance
—
from
her
bushy
eyebrows
to
shrill
voice,
purple
pink
lipstick
to
silly
dance
in
a
swimsuit
—
was
fair
game.
Despite
the
negativity,
the
movie
was
a
success.
And
for
the
longest
time,
that’s
all
Karisma
would
single-mindedly
focus
on.
Look
up
her
resume
and
you’ll
find
a
slew
of
box
office
winners
where
her
role
is
limited
to
dancing
doll
or
eye
candy.
With
Govinda
by
her
side
though,
the
popularity
of
their
No
1
combination
soared
and
became
stuff
of
pop
culture
history.
Back
then,
of
course,
the
lissome
star
had
to
take
a
lot
of
heat
for
her
‘sexy‘
trends
and
‘sarkailo‘
moves
from
the
moral
police
brigade
and
ilk.
It
would
take
a
Raja
Hindustani-sized
makeover
to
turn
things
around
and
catapult
Karisma
into
the
A-list.
Once
that
happened,
there
was
no
looking
back.
Her
talent
gained
respectability
and
showed
off
its
range
in
author-backed
roles
like
Zubeidaa
and
National
Award
winning
turns
in
Dil
To
Pagal
Hai
under
the
might
and
magic
of
veterans
like
Shyam
Benegal
and
Yash
Chopra
respectively.
Both
Karisma’s
highs
and
lows,
personal
or
professional,
are
no
secret
from
the
media.
But
it’s
her
active
contribution
as
boss
lady,
super
mom,
supportive
sister,
effortless
fashionista,
delightful
entertainer
and
eternal
Kapoor,
never
shying
away
from
embodying
what
her
Dadaji
always
said,
jeena
yahan
marna
yahan
that
continues
to
define
her.
On
her
50th
birthday
on
June
25,
Sukanya
Verma
celebrates
some
of
her
most
significant
works.
Prem
Qaidi
Everything
is
ridiculous
about
Karisma
in
Prem
Qaidi:
Her
hair,
eyebrows,
makeup,
wardrobe
and
acting.
Her
voice
is
also
the
most
curious
thing
about
it.
Karisma’s
quirky
originality
and
oddball
charm
is
the
only
reason
to
check
out
this
daft
take
on
a
rich
girl-poor
boy
love
story.
Dhanwaan
A
fairly
overlooked
performance
of
Karisma’s
early
oeuvre,
Dhanwaan
reveals
her
flair
for
flaky
humour
while
playing
a
poor
little
rich
hypochondriac
coming
of
age
in
K
Vishwanath’s
soppy
melodrama.
Co-starring
Ajay
Devgn
and
Manisha
Koirala,
Dhanwaan
slipped
into
obscurity
but
’90s
movie
buffs
will
remember
its
potential.
Andaz
Apna
Apna
Speaking
of
ditzy
roles,
can
Karisma’s
turn
as
the
loony
heiress
posing
as
the
girl
Friday
making
eyes
at
Salman
Khan’s
equally
goofy
Prem
be
far
behind?
To
think
the
actress
hasn’t
even
fully
watched
the
comedy
now
hailed
as
a
cult
classic
among
its
legion
of
fans.
Her
offscreen
catfights
with
co-star
Raveena
Tandon
may
have
attracted
more
attention
but
it’s
her
droll
expressions
and
pigtailed
looks
that
add
to
the
fun.
Jeet
Right
before
Karisma’s
Raja
Hindustani
era,
the
actress
flexed
her
histrionic
chops
as
a
passionate
young
woman
in
Raj
Kanwar’s
action
masala
Jeet.
Caught
in
a
romantic
triangle
where
she
must
abandon
the
thug
she
rehabilitates
for
the
goody
two-shoes
her
dad
guilt-tripped
her
into
marrying,
she
puts
up
quite
a
valiant
show.
Raja
Hindustani
Dharmesh
Darshan’s
Jab
Jab
Phool
Khile
rehash
proved
to
be
a
Cinderella
moment
in
Lolo’s
career.
Her
slick
transformation
wasn’t
limited
to
straight
hair,
demure
desi
wardrobe
and
contact
lenses.
Karisma’s
appreciable
restraint
in
conveying
her
Aarti’s
dilemma
and
desire
was
equally
notable.
Raja
Hindustani‘s
blockbuster
success
was
followed
by
her
first
Filmfare
Award
for
Best
Actress.
Hero
No
1
Govinda
formed
the
nucleus
of
his
David
Dhawan
comic
capers
but
Karisma’s
frothy
contribution
to
their
electric
jodi
cannot
be
undermined.
Be
it
their
synchronised
dance
moves
or
zesty
chemistry
in
madcap
masala,
Lolo
matched
Chi
Chi’s
energy
at
every
step.
Of
the
numerous
money-spinners
they
teamed
up
in,
Hero
No
1
highlights
its
vivacity
to
the
hilt.
Dil
To
Pagal
Hai
Can
you
imagine
Yash
Chopra’s
Valentine-special
musical
sans
Karisma
Kapoor?
Only
there
was
a
time
when
date
issues
made
it
impossible
for
her
to
take
on
one
of
the
roles
that
would
fetch
her
a
National
Award.
Luckily,
she
sorted
it
all
just
in
time
to
steal
the
show
as
Shah
Rukh
Khan’s
adorable
BFF
and
Madhuri
Dixit’s
romantic
rival
throwing
herself
in
the
role
and
rhythm
of
Nisha’s
throbbing
heart
and
rousing
dancer.
Biwi
No
1
As
a
reward
for
enriching
his
hero-centric
no-brainers,
David
Dhawan
gifted
Karisma
her
very
own
No
1
movie
where
she
would
do
a
little
more
than
play
arm
candy.
Dhawan’s
trademark
frivolity
colours
his
tale
of
adultery
wherein
a
devoted
desi
wife
responds
to
her
straying
husband
by
giving
him
a
taste
of
her
hectic
life
and
endless
responsibilities.
Brimming
in
charisma
and
chutzpah,
Karisma
has
a
ball
taking
charge.
Fida
When
Khalid
Mohammad’s
Fiza
happened,
Karisma
appeared
to
put
aside
her
mainstream
duties
for
meaningful
roles.
Displaying
an
emotional
acumen
for
roles
giving
a
glimpse
of
her
character’s
pain
and
anger
in
gentle
ways,
Karisma
won
acclaim
in
her
titular
role
as
a
sister
looking
for
her
lost
brother
in
the
aftermath
of
Bombay’s
1993
riots.
Zubeidaa
Shyam
Benegal’s
Zubeidaa
witnessed
her
hunger
as
an
artist
as
Karisma
got
under
the
skin
of
her
author-backed
protagonist’s
indomitable
spirit
with
gorgeous
grace.
Against
its
vintage
albeit
claustrophobic
world
of
royals
and
nobles,
Karisma
painted
a
lingering
portrait
of
poignant
melancholy
and
smothered
womanhood.
Murder
Mubarak
It
was
a
hoot
to
watch
the
actress
return
to
doing
what
she
does
best
after
a
long
gap
as
part
of
Homi
Adajania’s
whodunit
ensemble.
Murder
Mubarak‘s
middling
suspense
left
a
lot
to
be
desired
but
Karisma’s
flawless
understanding
of
her
B-film
actress,
all
her
campy
notes
as
well
as
heartfelt
ones,
made
one
wish
she
would
appear
a
lot
more
on
the
screen.
