Kareena Kapoor turns 46: from a name change to her Bollywood debut
As Kareena Kapoor Khan celebrates her 46th birthday, a look back at how she got her name and her first break in Bollywood
Bollywood's Kareena Kapoor Khan turns 46 today, September 21. The actress, the fifth generation of the Kapoor family to work in films, has carved out her own identity in Bollywood over the last two and a half decades. Whether it is her bold style or the choices she has made in her personal life, Kareena has always been in the news. On her birthday, here is a look at some interesting episodes from her life.
Kareena Kapoor was born into the Kapoor family on September 21, 1980. She is the granddaughter of Raj Kapoor and the daughter of Randhir Kapoor and Babita Kapoor. She was initially named "Siddhima", but her mother Babita later changed it to "Kareena". It is said the name was inspired by the novel "Anna Karenina".
On education, Kareena's early schooling was at Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai and Welham Girls' School in Dehradun. She then enrolled for a commerce degree at Mithibai College in Mumbai but did not complete it. She also did a three-month micro computer course at Harvard Summer School. She subsequently enrolled at Government Law College in Mumbai, but dropped out to pursue an acting career. In an interview, Kareena herself said she had only studied up to class 11.
The story of Kareena's Bollywood debut is no less interesting. Director Rakesh Roshan was set to launch his son Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor together in the film "Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai". Kareena had begun shooting for the film and some scenes had already been filmed. However, it is said that her mother Babita and Rakesh Roshan disagreed over the script and the importance given to Kareena's role. Babita reportedly felt Hrithik's role was being given more prominence, and had Kareena withdraw from the project.
Kareena then got her Bollywood debut with J.P. Dutta's "Refugee", opposite Abhishek Bachchan. Notably, "Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai" was a blockbuster at the box office and made Ameesha Patel an overnight star, while "Refugee" did not achieve the success at the box office that had been expected.
Kareena has also turned down several films in her career, some of which later became major hits. These include "Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai", "Kal Ho Naa Ho", "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela" and "Chennai Express". Had she done these films, her career path might have looked very different. But it is the roles she chose and the kind of acting she did that have given her a distinct identity in Bollywood today.
