Kareena Kapoor Biography
So where did this reputation of being mercurial come from? “I have no idea and I don’t bother to clarify,” shrugs Kareena Kapoor. “But contrary to popular perception, I have had a rather down-to-earth, upper-middle class upbringing. My mother was a strict disciplinarian and, till today, she can’t figure for her life why I need to upgrade my car. I was sent away to Welhams [Girls’ School in Dehradun] for my senior years so that I get away from the limelight in Mumbai. And it’s because of this culture that I can meet you in my top and trackpants and not be insecure about it. I don’t have to go out and prove that I am a star.”
Did she ever insist that she would only act with A-listers, as has been claimed often? “Look at me. I have worked with every possible actor. I don’t think I am anybody to insist on working with a particular actor. If I am eyeing a prime role, would I do movies like Udta Punjab? My next [Veeray Di Shaadi, Rhea Kapoor’s chick flick for which Kareena is expected to start shooting in August] is a story of four girls and I am just one of them. I am happy to share the limelight with others if I like the script.”
Arjun Kapoor feels the star aura is a construct not of the actress but of what she has achieved over the last 16 years. “It’s not like, ‘Oh-don’t-talk-to-Kareena-she’s-a-big-star’. It’s the larger-than-life persona that she has on screen. She might be the most normal person around, but a fan will look at her with aura,” says Kapoor.
Critics point out that she’s a bit aloof to the media and perhaps to her fans as she hasn’t opened up channels of communication. Kareena doesn’t operate a public Facebook, Twitter or Instagram page. But this is a conscious choice and she is unapologetic about it. “I communicate with my fans through interviews, magazines, websites. These days a conversation between a journalist and an artist is dying because everybody’s putting everything out on social media and journalists are compiling them to put out a story. Where has the art of real conversation gone?”