How Kareena Kapoor's stardom stood the test of time

When she begins shooting for Veerey Di Wedding - an ode to woman power, in the company of Sonam Kapoor and Swara Bhaskar - later this year, it certainly won't be construed as her bid to make a comeback. Although she didn't have a single film release to her name this year, she hasn't exactly been relegated to the shadows of showbiz.
Kareena Kapoor, who turns 37 in September, is just not cut out to take too long a sabbatical from the movies or from the news. Last year, she was seen in R. Balki's Ki & Ka, as well as in an abbreviated role in Abhishek Chaubey's Udta Punjab. As Mrs Kareena Kapoor Khan now, the begum of Nawab Saif Ali Khan, she is visible all over the media, frequently with their infant son Taimur cuddled up in her arms.
Initially, the celebrity couple had been taken aback by the remarks on the name chosen for their child by trolls on Twitter. Also, they were disturbed by the persistent interest of the paparazzi in clicking the photo-friendly Taimur. Indeed, the baby's photographs have gone viral on the net.
Obviously, Kareena and Saif have come to terms with the hyper-curiosity of the media and Bollywood trackers. Be it at an airport terminal or at a restaurant's foyer, the parents no longer throw attitude at the swarming photographers. If that's the price to be paid for stardom, so be it.
Kareena Kapoor, nicknamed Bebo, whom I've known ever since she was a chubby teenager basking in the success story of sister Karisma, has been super savvy about the ways of the film establishment and the accompanying mandate of staying in the limelight.
Even as a kid, she used to regale friends with her dot-on take-offs on the reigning heroines. It was apparent that she was to the stardom born and was being quietly but sharply groomed to become the next big heroine on the block. The puppy fat was shed, thanks to a strict gymming regimen and diet control. Patience is not one of Kareena's virtues. Hence the makeover from a pleasantly plump to a svelte, zero-figure young woman (particularly accentuated in the Aditya Chopra-produced Tashan), was nothing short of astonishing.
Serious errors were made at the outset though. Within a few days of filming her intended debut film Kaho Naa.. Pyaar Hai (2000), opposite Hrithik Roshan, Kareena dropped out of the project to be replaced by Ameesha Patel. Differences had cropped up between the musical entertainer's producer-director Rakesh Roshan and her mother, the yesteryear star Babita. That was a setback alright. She was introduced by J.P. Dutta instead, opposite Abhishek Bachchan, in Refugee (2000), which tanked at the box office.
Yet, Kareena's performance and screen presence made her much-wanted for glamour-coated movies. As for the fallout with the Roshans, that was resolved eventually. Kareena went on to be paired with Hrithik in Subhash Ghai's Yaadein (2001), Kunal Kohli's Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (2002), Sooraj Barjatya's Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003), but most famously as the campus diva 'Poo' in Karan Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001). The lesson learnt: there can be no permanent foes in the competitive sphere of B-town's mega productions.
So much for the backstory of Kareena's ascent to the A-list. Soon after her marriage to Saif Ali Khan in October 2012, she made it abundantly clear that she did not plan to quit her metier. According to outmoded trade beliefs, it is theorised that a married female star loses out considerably on her market equity and fan base.
Undeterred, she made herself accessible to acting offers and was, in fact, scheduled to start filming in New Delhi for the Ekta Kapoor-produced Veerey Di Wedding, during her months of pregnancy. Her role was rewritten accordingly. As it happened, the financial investment had to be pegged down, delaying the film in its take-off.
The woman-oriented film directed by Shashanka Ghosh (who earlier helmed the Sonam Kapoor romedy Khoobsurat in 2014) is back on the rails. Through her interviews, Kareena Kapoor has sent out feelers that she is now open to accepting projects of some spleen and substance.
Fortuituously, she doesn't seem to be averse to films that are out-of-the-box, meaning they don't have to be stuffed with formulaic, crowd-pleasing ingredients. After all, in the prime of her career, she had featured in the off-mainstream Chameli (2004), directed by Anant Balani-Sudhir Mishra, and in Dev (2004), directed by Govind Nihalani, asserting that it's feasible for an artiste to straddle the disparate worlds of commercial as well as purposeful cinema.
Reportedly, after having published bestsellers on fashion and fitness, she is working on a book aimed to dispel the misconceptions about pregnancy. And from all accounts, the moviegoing audience continues to connect with Kareena who has featured in approximately 55 films ever since she faced the camera 17 years ago.
Chances of a film co-starring Kareena and sister Karisma seem to be remote currently. But you never know. Nothing is impossible, after all, in the unpredictable realm of the movies, anywhere, anytime.
wknd@khaleejtimes.com