Kareena Kapoor belongs to Bollywood royalty. The Kapoor family tree has
produced some of India’s biggest actors and stars, but the actress and
her sister Karisma were the first women from the family to act. In her
16 years in the business, Kapoor has shown natural talent that few of
her peers can claim. Often, she doesn’t showcase that talent, and
instead appears in films that have big-ticket male stars and where
leading ladies are reduced to damsels in distress.
Kapoor, 34, spoke to Reuters about why she works in films like “Bajrangi
Bhaijaan” (“Brother Bajrangi”) which comes out next month, and in which
she has a small part, instead of choosing meatier roles. The interview
has been edited.
Q: Why did you say “yes” to “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”?
A: Apart from it being a Salman Khan film … it is also his first film as
a producer, so I wanted to be a part of it. I have also never worked
with Kabir Khan. The idea is also to work in commercial films, but there
should be a newness to it. Kabir’s films aren’t mindless. When he
called me, I immediately said yes.
Q: You’ve done films with all the big heroes, and most often you haven’t
had much to do in those films. Doesn’t that bother you?
A: Well, in “Asoka” I had a great part …
Q: But not in films like “Singham” or “Bodyguard”?
A: But those are the big commercial blockbusters … it matters. Every top
actor of their generation, whether it was Sharmila Tagore who worked
with Rajesh Khanna or Hemaji (Hema Malini) who worked with Dharmendra or
Rekha, who worked with Amitabh Bachchan. A Scarlett Johansson is part
of an Avengers franchise. It is not a crime to work with Khans.
