There’s no denying that Kareena Kapoor Khan and Karisma Kapoor are the most stylish sisters from the tinsel town. From attending glamorous parties to flying off for dreamy vacays, they are always stealing the show! And even though the sisters from the Kapoor khandan can afford whatever they want, they also have done a few mundane tasks just like us. Recently, Karisma Kapoor opened up about her life and her childhood in a recent post on the Official Humans Of Bombay‘s Instagram page.
Humans of Bombay, a page known to document real-life inspirational stories from people in and around the city, shared the life story of 90s queen Karisma Kapoor. Karisma made her debut in Bollywood with the 1991 hit, Prem Quaidi. The movie Raja Hindustani in 1996, however, was a turning point in her career. She won the national award for her performance against Madhuri Dixit in Yash Chopra’s Dil Toh Pagal Hai.
In her post, Karisma opens up about how she always had a keen interest in being a part of Bollywood. She also admitted to being very unsure of herself. Recalling some advice given by her grandfather, “Growing up, I used to visit my granddad on set—& his talent would leave me mesmerised. Once I was there when he was directing Ram Teri Ganga Maili. I loved the sets, camera & lights! I knew I wanted to become an actor and contribute to the family legacy. When I told my granddad, he said, ‘It’s glamorous but it’s not a bed of roses—you will have to work very hard.’ That stayed with me. I wanted to act but my inner voice made me doubt myself. But what motivated me, was how grounded my mom kept me. Despite being from an ‘illustrious’ family, she made us live a simple life.”
Karisma says her mom used to make her and Kareena travel to school and college by local transport. “My sister & I travelled by school bus & went to college by local trains.”
Had it not been for her mom, Babita, Karisma probably would not have made her debut in Bollywood. “My mom taught me how to stick to my roots & still be confident. She knew about my passion for acting and about my hesitation. I didn’t want to falter & let anybody down. But she said that until I try, I’d never know. That’s when I signed my first film—a remake of a South Indian movie! While shooting, I gave my best. I had to ‘make it’ or ‘break it’. And the movie was a success!”
Talking about her highs and lows, she admitted that the failures of some of her movies and the criticism used to affect her a lot. Lolo accredits much of her confidence as a star today to her mother. She says “As my career progressed, there were highs & lows. I had done a song, ‘Sexy Sexy’—I’d worked hard & even hurt my knees for it. I was appreciated for my dance, but people thought the song was way ahead of its time—the word ‘Sexy’ wasn’t common back then. But that’s when my mom said that it’s an actors job to entertain. I can’t let one roadblock affect it. Even on the bad days, I had to keep my head held high.”
Dil Toh Pagal Hai was a complete turning point for Karisma Kapoor’s journey in Bollywood. She won a national award for her performance in the movie among several other awards. Could you even imagine what DTPH would have been without LoLo? Cause we sure can’t. She added “So even when I was offered Dil Toh Pagal Hai, when no actress wanted to be cast against Madhuri Dixit. I didn’t want to shy away because ‘I thought I couldn’t do it’. I did the film & even won a National Award for it! From then on, whenever I’ve wondered if I was capable enough—be it in my choice of films, being a single mom or in my relationships with people, I’ve never let my doubts get the better of me. We live in a world where there will always be roadblocks, people to bog you down & things that may not work out. That’s why you have to be your biggest strength & not let your voice, at any point, become your weakness.”
Read the whole post here:
On the professional front, Karisma is taking a break from Bollywood. She’s currently working on a web series titled Mentalhood.
Aren’t mothers the best?! We’re so happy you had such a supportive mother, Karisma!
Featured Image: Instagram
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