Kareena Kapoor recently celebrated 25 years in the Indian film industry. In an interview with the Times of India, the veteran actress looked back at the unique challenges faced by female actors in this male-dominated environment. She mentioned that it is never easy to sustain a career while reinventing oneself in Bollywood.
I feel this whole journey is such that at 17-18, it was all about wanting to do every film. She said that if you sustain for a decade, it’s about reinvention, which is scary in an industry that always seems to belong to men. She highlighted that one has to keep asking every five years what new directions one intends to pursue.
“It’s not about being part of successful films but leaving behind a legacy,” she added. Part of the famous Kapoor family, whose members are known for their great acting prowess, Kareena wanted an identity for herself in the industry.
“Sustaining yourself is tougher, so I like to make varied choices,” she said, listing a number of films she has worked on, such as Buckingham Murders, Singham, Crew, and Jaane Jaan, which was recently released on a streaming platform. She held these would have done equally well on the big screen.
Kareena first appeared in a Bollywood film titled Refugee by JP Dutta in 2000, after which she did films such as Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Yuva, Chameli, Omkara, Jab We Met, Tashan, 3 Idiots, Heroine, Singham Returns, Good Newwz, Laal Singh Chaddha, and Jaane Jaan.
Her next film will be Singham Again by Rohit Shetty. This action-thriller boasts an ensemble star cast of Ajay Devgn, Deepika Padukone, Tiger Shroff, Ranveer Singh, Jackie Shroff, Arjun Kapoor, and Akshay Kumar. The movie Singham Again’s release date is November 1, 2024.
