Thirty-five years after making her big-screen debut, Karisma Kapoor is taking a trip down memory lane. The actor, who entered the industry with K. Murali Mohana Rao’s ‘Prem Qaidi’ in 1991, says it feels surreal to look back at a career that began when she was still a teenager. Starring opposite Harish, Karisma was only 16 years old when she faced the camera for the first time, a phase she remembers as a whirlwind transition from classrooms to film sets.For Karisma, there was hardly any pause between education and acting. The actor recalls that her debut film arrived just days before a major milestone in her personal life.“My first movie released four days before my 17th birthday. So, I was straight out of school. I went to junior college for a few days, and then I was straight on the set of Prem Qaidi. I do remember the mahurat shot also. Time has flown by really fast.”The early 1990s, she says, came with their own set of challenges. Shooting conditions were far different from what actors experience today, particularly when it came to lighting equipment. “The lighting was very harsh. We used to struggle to barely open our eyes.”
Karisma Kapoor on watching cinema evolve over three decades
Having worked through multiple eras of filmmaking, Karisma has seen the industry’s technical landscape transform dramatically. From celluloid film to digital cameras and from dubbing studios to sync-sound recording, the process of making movies has changed significantly during her career.One project that stands out in her memory is Shyam Benegal’s ‘Zubeidaa’, which she describes as a turning point both professionally and creatively. “Obviously, it was all very new. And then I realised, and I think all actors would agree, that your real performance comes out when it’s sync-sound because you’re in that moment.”According to the actor, performing live on set brought a level of spontaneity that was difficult to recreate during post-production dubbing. “No matter how hard we try, we can’t get the same emotion in a dark AC room while dubbing. I think it made it all easier with all the concentration and silence.”
A memorable association with Shyam Benegal
Among the filmmakers who influenced her journey, Karisma holds Shyam Benegal in particularly high regard. The actress says working on ‘Zubeidaa’ gave her an opportunity to learn not just about acting but also about cinema as a craft.“Zubeidaa was such a learning experience. He’s such an amazing director, and an even more amazing human being.” She fondly remembers conversations with Benegal between shots, when he would share stories from Indian cinema’s rich history.“I think I learnt so much even about behind the camera from what he spoke to me. Whenever we’d be free between shots, I’d ask him to share stories and kissas of other actors and great actresses from other films, and he’d actually do that. It was a beautiful experience.”
Why ‘Zubeidaa’ was an instant yes
Interestingly, Benegal was unsure whether Karisma would be interested in one of his films, given her image as a mainstream commercial star. The actor, however, says she never hesitated.“He and my grandfather (Raj Kapoor) share the same birthday, December 14. So, I always had this strange attachment with him.” Recalling their first meeting, she says the filmmaker repeatedly checked if she was certain about taking on the project.“I remember going to meet him, and he said, ‘But will you act in my movie?’ I said, ‘Sir, of course!’ I was completely honoured and grateful.” She added, “He said, ‘Are you sure?’ I said, ‘No, I will, and I want to do this because at this stage of my career, this is the time I want to explore.’”
Karisma Kapoor’s debut that almost never happened
Before ‘Prem Qaidi’, Karisma was expected to launch her career with ‘Barsaat’ opposite Bobby Deol. However, delays in the film’s development led her to pursue another opportunity. Years later, Bobby Deol revealed that production delays played a role in the change of plans. “Actually, I was supposed to start with Karisma Kapoor. But my film’s story wasn’t getting developed. The scripting was still going on.”The actor further explained that the circumstances of the industry at the time influenced the decision. “So, Karisma was a little insecure, and I don’t blame her for that. So, she decided to start her career with Prem Qaidi.” While ‘Barsaat’ eventually released in 1995 with Twinkle Khanna as the female lead, Karisma had already established herself as one of Bollywood’s rising stars by then.Following her debut, Karisma became one of the most sought-after actresses of the 1990s through films such as ‘Raja Babu’, ‘Coolie No. 1’, ‘Saajan Chale Sasural’, ‘Judwaa’, ‘Hero No. 1’, ‘Biwi No. 1’, ‘Haseena Maan Jaayegi’, ‘Andaz Apna Apna’, ‘Jeet’, ‘Raja Hindustani’, ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’ and ‘Hum Saath-Saath Hain’.After stepping away from acting following her marriage in 2003, she returned to the screen with ‘Dangerous Ishhq’ and later expanded her presence into the streaming space through projects like ‘Mentalhood’, ‘Murder Mubarak’ and ‘Brown’.
Karisma Kapoor’s work front
Today, Karisma says her approach to selecting projects is guided less by strategy and more by instinct. “The kind of person I am, I work from my heart, and not from the head. If I feel like doing something, I would. If I don’t, I’m just not interested.”Even after spending 35 years in the industry, her enthusiasm for acting remains unchanged. “I’ve never taken myself seriously. I just love to act. I want to give it my best shot, and then I just leave it to my audience and fans.”As she marks 35 years since ‘Prem Qaidi’, Karisma Kapoor’s journey continues to reflect the evolution of Hindi cinema itself, spanning multiple generations, formats and storytelling styles while remaining firmly connected to the craft that first brought her to the screen as a teenager.
