Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham

Kareena was young and energetic then, she had a bubbly charisma and that was captured amazingly in her character as ‘POO’ in Karan Johar’s “Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham”. She was shown to be this spoilt brat and hot-high-headed girl in the film. Given how Bebo was in her real life as a young girl she pulled off Poo’s character brilliantly. Her dance moves in the film, her excessively revealing clothes, her airy attitude and snobbish ways made her character a true entertaining one in the film.

Asoka

‘Asoka’, a Santosh Sivan film surely meant that Kareena will look her best in the film and in sync with her character. But with Bollywood badshah Shah Rukh Khan playing the male lead character opposite her in the film, chances of her being overshadowed were strong. However she emerged as an equally strong co-star portraying the role of a strong willed princess in the film. She wore revealing outfits in the film - long skirts or dhoti-like lowers to give her the touch of the character she played. But she carried it with great elegance. Her kohled eyes and body art made her look sexier than ever. Through ‘Asoka’ Kareena sure made her presence felt to audience and critics alike.

Chameli

Bebo played the bold role of a prostitute in Sudhir Mishra’s film ‘Chameli’. While most of the actresses would have shied away from playing such a role, Kareena took the plunge and proved her talent. She dressed up in cotton-red sarees, smoked biddis and used foul language. She portrayed the role of a road-side hooker brilliantly. She projected the character of a prostitute with natural ease. Unlike the cliché portrayal of prostitutes in Bollywood films Kareena was shown as free-spirited, golden hearted girl who had no qualms accepting she was a sex worker. Her role in the film won her accolades and also a special performance award at Filmfare!

Dev

Govind Nihalani’s film ‘Dev’ based on Gujrat riots was a serious film that involved political issues. Kareena starred in the film opposite veteran actors Amitabh Bachchan and Om Puri. But she managed to make her mark in the film despite being overshadowed by such huge actors. She was the victim of the riots in the film and her brilliant acting made her stand out and sharp in her character. She won a lot of praises for her poised look and immaculate portrayal of the character. She was awarded Filmfare’s Best Actress – Critics’ award for the film.

Omkara

When Vishal Bhardwaj wanted to cast Kareena Kapoor as the female lead in his adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello audiences were a little apprehensive. But when she actually came out on the screen as Dolly Mishra opposite Ajay Devgn who played Omkara, audiences were gobsmacked. She took fans, critics and audiences by a surprise with her strong acting skills. She emoted so much from her eyes and body language in the film that it gave viewers a reason to applause. Her character was underplayed beautifully as it did not have many dialogues and Bebo compensated for that with her great portrayal of emotions on screen. She bagged a Filmfare’s Best Actress- Critics’ Award for this film.

Jab We Met

In a male dominant industry like Bollywood commercial films are rarely based around a female character. But Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Jab We Met’ was the first of the sorts, where the story revolved around the female protagonist ‘Geet’. Kareena played the lead character with finesse and confidence. She was a chirpy, talkative Punjabi girl in the film with enthusiasm and innocence towards love and life. She played her character so well that everyone fell in love with ‘Geet’. Some of her dialogues like “sikhni hoon main bhatinda ki” became memorable quotes. With this film she embarked a new level in her career as an actress; she bagged her first Filmfare Best Actress Award for this film.

Kurbaan

Rensil D`Silva’s directed film ‘Kurbaan’ was again one of the most promising roles ever played by Kareena Kapoor . The film did not do that well at the BO but Bebo played the role of Professor Avantika Ahuja with perfection. In the film, she falls in love with a musllim professor and later discovers that her husband is a terrorist. She played the role of a betrayed wife with great panache. She was brilliant in the climax when she sees her husband die before her eyes. Her performance was widely appreciated by audiences and critics and she was also nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress Award for the same role in this film.

3 Idiots

Kareena Kapoor played the female lead opposite Aamir Khan in the funny flick ‘3 Idiots’ directed by Rajkumar Hirani. It was a male-oriented film with three actors, with not much role left for Kareena. However, she did justice to her character and proved her worth. She played the role of Doctor Pia and portrayed many shades in her short character, making a mark once again. She displayed variations in her role, from a hilariously drunken girl confessing her love to Rancho (Aamir) to an emotionally perturbed daughter arguing with her father over his rigid rules. She surely proved her worth as an actress in the film.

Golmaal 3

Though the film did not do that well as a whole but this film is worth counting in Kareena’s top performances. She played a comic role of a tomboy named ‘Daboo’ in the film. The film must have not done that well but it surely established Kareena’s talent and acting skills as a comic actor. Her funny character and one liners in the film were truly entertaining. Her tomboy body language, funny jokes and foul language was something new for all her fans to see, which surely marked her image as a great comic actor among her contemporaries.


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By Ridhima Mangal