Thaindian News

By Dibyojyoti Baksi
Mumbai, Aug 28 (IANS) Bollywood star actress Kareena Kapoor feels she has managed to strike the right balance between commercial and meaningful cinema. Hailing from an illustrious film family, she says she can’t do films where she only has to dance around trees.

“I enjoy acting. Acting is in my blood, it is in my genes, it is in my DNA and you can see that on screen I like doing different roles. I can’t do just those films where I am looking pretty and sing and dance around trees. I want to act,” Kareena told IANS in an interview.

The actress considers her debut film “Refugee” (2000) a special film.

” ‘Refugee’ was a very special film because I always wanted to prove myself as an actress and not to be known just as a glam doll. There are films like ‘Refugee’, ‘Chameli’, ‘Omkara’, ‘Jab We Met’, ‘3 Idiots’ and ‘Kurbaan’; they all have been very different.

“I don’t think any other actress has been able to do such a variety of roles. So the journey, I think, has been colourful,” said Kareena, 29.

Nine years after “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham” (2001), where she played Kajol’s younger sister, Kareena has teamed up with Kajol in Sidharth Malhotra’s directorial debut “We Are Family”. She is elated to share the same frame with the senior actress.

“I think it’s an exciting challenge to be working with Kajol. In ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gaam’ we didn’t have too many scenes together, but in this film we are both in the same frame. We both live in the same house, have equally powerful roles; in fact, mine is the most complex and complicated part. It’s very easy to be emotional and gain sympathy but very difficult to win over the sympathy and I hope I could achieve that,” she said.

Releasing Sep 3, “We Are Family” is the Hindi adaptation of Hollywood hit “Stepmom” (1998). Arjun Rampal plays what Ed Harris did in the original, while Kajol steps into Susan Sarandon’s shoes as as a divorced mother.

Kareena plays the same role that Julia Roberts did, but in her own style.

“I am absolutely honoured that Karan (producer Karan Johar) and Sidharth thought that I could do the Julia Roberts role because to me she is the finest actress,” said the actress who feels the adaptation could have been more contemporary.

“It’s a very desi film. I think it should have been made more contemporary. Indian audiences are ready for that. It’s about the journey of two women. They start off with hating each other and due to unforeseen circumstances they end up loving each other.”

While working with Kajol, Kareena observed that her co-star was quite similar to her sister Karisma when it comes to their child.

“Kajol is a hands-on mother. I have seen Karisma. Both Kajol and Karisma, I don’t know if it’s the trait of that generation, are just there with their children,” said Kareena.

Asked how it would have been if Karisma had played Kajol’s role, she quipped, “Oh god! She can’t do that because we can’t marry the same man. No way.”

There are three child stars - Aanchal Munjal, Nominath Ginsburg and Diya Sonecha - in the film, but Kareena didn’t have to handle them. She is all praise for their professional behaviour on the sets though.

“In the film, I didn’t have to be with the kids because they had their mother (Kajol). The children were really lovely, they didn’t get impatient. They were acting like adults, not like children,” said Kareena.

(Dibyojyoti Baksi can be contacted at dibyojyoti.b@ians.in)