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Karisma or Karishma... It's always been Karisma. People generally misspelt my name because of the Hindi word.
Superstitions... I'm not superstitious about my name. But I'm very superstitious about my roles. I generally do not want to discuss them before the film releases.
Born on... June 25, 1974
Height... 5'4"
Weight... 50 kg. And it has been steady. I can eat anything and as much as I want. I just don't put on weight.
Family... What more can I say about the Kapoors than is already known?
Schooling... My initial years were at Cathedral and John Connan High School in Fort. After I did my CBSE, I joined Sophi College for FYJC (Arts). Then I left.
Nicknames... I have several of them. But Lolo is the most common one. Relatives on my mother's side call me Lolima. Some call me Lola. Actually all the distortions of Lolo are my nicknames.
Nature... By nature I'm an introvert but I try and pretend to be an extrovert. It works at times an it doesn't sometimes. Basically I like to be left again.
Believes in... God, my mother and my work.
Superstitious about... Cat crossing the road, keeping one shoe upside down, passing under a ladder... the list is endless!
Dreams... It's the action replay of the happenings during the day. Even if I've seen a film, I see it all over again in my dreams.
Early to bed... yes, and late to rise.
Parties... I'm not a party bird. In fact, I avoid them as much as possible. I love to go to bed early. I like to go to sleep watching the TV or listening to soft music.
Her moods... I'm very moody, but in a positive way. I just don't communicate with people if I'm feeling disturbed. My worst mood is in the morning just ater I've woken up. I drive everyone up the wall with my high-strung behaviour. I want everything in a jiffy. My staff and family hates me in the mornings.
Driving force... I know it's kind of boring to say this but it's my work that keeps me going!
Desires... to be an independent woman. I want to make a name as a woman of substance. My dream is to get into business later but it has to be something connected to films. I have to be in this film industry, whatever I do!
When free... I love dancing and that's what I do whenever I'm free. I put on the music in my room and dance till I fall down! My mother often screams from outside asking me to open the door.
Issues she feels strongly about... Orphans and the film industry. I want all the orphans in the world to have a home. And I want the film industry to achieve the status of an independent industry.
Friends... I have very few friends but what comforts me is that they never sit on judgement as far as I am concerned. They care for me and will do anything for me.
The last time she was depressed... just a few hours ago. It doesn't take long to depress me. But I get over it as quickly too!
When depressed... I eat a lot. I stuff myself with lots of ic-cream, chocolates. I indulge myself until I feel nice and snap out of my depression!
Nostalgic about... My childhood, my grandfather and my first film.
Terrified of... Nothing in the world scares me more than cockroaches! If you want to know my secrets, all you need to do is threaten me with a cockroach (even a dead one!) and I'll spill everything!
Hates... People who disrespect their work, whatever it may be!
Strives for... Perfection. And to me that means doing everything that I do with maximum honesty and dedication. I may not be the best, but if I give my best, I think that's enough. I also strive to be a good human being.
Passionate about... My work, what else?
A few years ago, Karisma was admired more for her "Sexy Sexy" dances rather than her high voltage histrionics. However, with strong and moving performances in movies such as "Raja Hindustani" and "Dil To Pagal Hai", Karisma has finally proven all her detractors wrong.It was her role as Aarthi in the super-hit of 1996 Raja Hindustani that bagged Karisma her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 1997 and vaulted her into the big league. The following year, she managed to successfully follow up with numerous awards including the much coveted National Award for her role as Nisha in the much loved Dil To Pagal Hai.
Currently, Karisma is on a winning streak: her last few films have all been hits at the box office and she has been deservedly crowned as the new Number One in the 1998 Movie Opinion Poll, beating out Madhuri and Kajol for the title.
Since Karisma joined the film industry in 1990 at the tender age of sixteen, she has made nearly forty films. That's an amazing rate of nearly six films a year! She started off with a bang in Prem Qaidi, attracting attention for her daring decision to not only wear a swimsuit in the film, but also prance around in it for a good ten minutes! Controversies aside, the film went on to become a hit and gave Karisma a firm foothold in the industry. Her first movie was followed by a spate of largely unremarkable films in the early 90s. Though Karisma still managed to regularly churn out a hit or two a year (Anari, Jigar) these were interspersed with a number of eminently forgettable films such as Jaagruti, Nischaiy, Muqabla, and Sapne Saajan Ke. With contemporaries Manisha Koirala and Kajol racing ahead, Karisma was no longer the golden girl.
In 1994, a little film called Khuddar became the favourite topic of conversation in the Bollywood Film Industry. Not for its original screenplay or powerhouse performances, but rather for the presence of an innocuous song and dance routine known as "Sexy Sexy". Both the magazines and the television had a field day with the Censor Board's decision to change the name of the song to "Baby Baby" and to cut out some of the dance sequences which were deemed "risque".
Coupled with the hue and cry raised over the "vulgar" dance steps in Andaz and Raja Babu, Karisma was once again pushed into the spotlight. Karisma defended herself valiantly ("I only did what the Dance Director told me to do, I was just doing my job!") but to little avail. While the media wasn't altogether supportive about Miss Kapoor, the attention certainly wasn't unwelcome, and served to keep her name on everyone's lips during the better part of 1994.Karisma returned in 1995 determined to wipe her slate clean and start anew. With her on-screen beau Govinda, she managed to rack up hits galore (Raja Babu, Coolie No. 1, Saajan Chale Sasural) over the next few years. Even smaller budget films like Khuddar and Dulaara did well, primarily due to the screen-magic between the star pair. In addition, her hits Suhaag, Andaz Apna Apna and Yeh Dillagi served to augment her status as a "hit-heroine". Then came 1996, the year that would change the star equations forever. Karisma started the year off on a happy note when her Govinda-starrer Saajan Chale Sasural became a hit. However, it was at the end of the year that Karisma-fever really caught on. Raja Hindustani was released and became a super hit. Karisma was praised for her sensitive yet strong portrayal of Aarthi, and eventually won a Filmfare Award in 1997 for her efforts.
Armed with a new wardrobe and a new look, Karisma is now one of the top box-office draws in Bollywood. A spate of consecutive hits since Raja Hindustani (Hero No.1, Jeet, Judwaa, Dil To Pagal Hai and more recently Biwi No.1, Haseena Maan Jaayegi and Hum Saath Saath Hain) have served to further consolidate her position and have led to her crowning as Bollywood's Heroine No. 1.
POST PRODUCTION > Hum To Mohabbat Karega - Bobby Deol
Filmfare Award
1996 - Best Actress (Raja Hindustani)
1997 - Best Supporting Actress (Dil To Pagal Hai)
National
Award
1997 - Best Supporting Actress (Dil To Pagal Hai)
Lux
Zee Cine Award
1997 - Best Supporting Actress (Dil To Pagal Hai)
Sansui
Award
1997 - Best Supporting Actress (Dil To Pagal Hai)
If you want to contact
Karisma Kapoor, here's her address:
2-B/110/1201 Excellency
4th Cross Road
Lokhandwala Complex
Andheri (W)
Mumbai 400 058.
INDIA
And here is her phone number:
Tel: 91 22 6265856
(COUNTRY CODE = 00)