Kareena Kapoor Khan turns 40; Remembering the best on-screen characters of Bebo

An accomplished and globally recognised personality, having a family lineage from the world of cinema, and the granddaughter of legendary actor Raj Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan is surely gifted with the skills of a true artist for the Indian Film Industry. Her power-packed performances and well-defined characters in every movie have allowed her to create a niche for herself among other promising actors. Every on-screen personality portrayed by Bebo has created an impact on our lives. The star icon is an epitome of expressions and has gifted her fans a filmography of nearly 60 films. She married Saif Ali Khan in 2012 and gave birth to an adorable munchkin named Taimur. Earlier this year the couple also confirmed about the diva’s second pregnancy and fans have already started pouring love from all over the country. The diva has come a long way from being a poster girl to becoming a working mother thereby challenging Bollywood stereotypes. Indeed, Kareena ages like fine wine, and today as the gorgeous lady turns 40, here’s to remembering the star with the best reel life performances delivered by her.

This romantic drama marked the debut of Kareena Kapoor. She played the character of ‘Nazneen Ahmed’, a village girl who had fallen in love with a refugee during the border tensions and terror attacks, between two countries. She was seen sharing screen space with Abhishek Bachchan who played the on-screen character of the refugee. Kareena’s acting was highly appreciated and was well received by the audience. Every expression of the actress felt natural, which helped us to immerse ourselves into the scenes where she was a part of. She was only 18 when she was offered this role. In the year 2000, it was the sixth highest-grossing film of that year.

One of the most iconic on-screen characters Pooja Sharma also known as Poo revealed the over the top - bubbly self of the actress. She became a major style icon for the 90’s kids and there’s no denying that every millennial has grown up and absorbed the traits portrayed by her. Kareena’s Poo was unapologetic and believed in self-love, a character still alive in our memories. Earlier in an interview, she also shared it was a ‘difficult’ character to portray. The film also had Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, and Amitabh Bachchan in pivotal roles.

The film identifies Kareena as ‘Chameli’ an on-screen charismatic, witty, and an amusing individual, who intends to live a respectable life by helping others. In the reel life, she is denoted as a prostitute/sexual woman who has an empowering acceptance towards her body. Kareena portrayed her strong, self-determined, ruthless self thus breaking stereotypes about a traditional woman. This movie was a turning point in Kareena’s career for which she had also bagged a Filmfare award. The makers of the film also shared that it wasn’t possible to make ‘Chameli’ without her.

Adapted from Shakespeare’s Othello, the drama film saw Kareena playing the role of Dolly Mishra, an innocent young woman, smitten by Omkara. Dolly Mishra’s way of expressing her love towards Omkara built the essence of their relationship. She forms an important central character of the film. Her performance for portraying the role with such realism is noteworthy and absorbing. The film did exceptionally well in the box office. The film itself is a masterpiece embellished with top-notch performances by some remarkable actors like Saif Ali Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Konkona Sen Sharma.

Geet is a character radiating positivity and speaking volumes about self-love. The portrayal was truly justified when Kareena Kapoor adorned it. She is shown as an ever talkative, care-free, and an extremely adorable Punjabi girl who refuses to settle for a compromise in love. She’s unafraid and brave enough to love and take a stand for herself. Kareena managed to strike a chord with the audience as it was fresh, inspiring, and soon became a household name. The film will remain evergreen and will be revisited by people of all ages. The film also starred Shahid Kapoor as one of the lead characters.

The movie portrayed Kareena as Pia, a medical student, who’s family-oriented and loyal to her father’s vision and career. She is shown having a good sense of humour and is seen pulling off her scenes with perfection. Pia is a character every teenager could relate to - unapologetically bold, and unafraid to love. Back in 2009, when it released, ‘3 idiots’ became the highest-grossing films ever created in the industry which talks about following one’s dreams and passion, giving a very positive and different outlook towards life. Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi also played relevant characters for the film.

Watching Kareena Kapoor Khan as ‘Mahi Arora’, was an emotional and intensive experience. Kareena plays the role of a glamorous star falling prey to the shutterbugs, claimed to be having a bipolar personality, who soon loses her originality which eventually leads to her tragic downfall. Her expressions were noteworthy which made the character memorable. She did complete justice to her role and was highly praised by the critics as well as the audience. It’s one of the break-through performances in her career. ‘Heroine’ is a film which managed to mirror the reality of the glamour world. The film also had Arjun Rampal and Randeep Hooda in relevant roles.

Kareena Kapoor’s character as Deepti Batra is very relatable to the twenty-first-century woman. She plays the role of an independent and self-sufficient person who also wishes to have a baby. She won everyone’s heart with an emotional monologue successfully creating an impact on every mother’s life. In the monologue, Kareena opens up about the struggles and the hardships a woman goes through during pregnancy but takes it all with a smile. The movie was successful in the box office and also starred Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani and Diljit Dosanjh in pivotal roles.