Kareena Kapoor Says It Took 'Many Films' For Her To Be Taken Seriously: 'People Assume I'm Poo...'

Kareena Kapoor is one of the most versatile actresses in Indian cinema. While she became popular with her characters Poo and Geet, she has also shown her versatility in films like Jaane Jaan and The Buckingham Murders. Kareena has spent 25 years in the industry and she believes it took a while for people to take her seriously.

Kareena told the Times of India, “People tend to overlook an actor’s gravitas if you are glamourous. If you see my choice of films, it proves this perception wrong. I have had a glamorous image, but I’ve never looked at myself like that. I prefer to keep my ear to the ground because it’s important for an actor to know the reality of a situation. I am focused on my performance. It took many films for people to take me seriously as an actor.”

She added, “Today, when a film like Buckingham Murders releases, people take notice because I have constantly been at it, proving myself. That’s also one of the reasons behind the longevity I have been able to achieve as an actor. I have constantly tried to prove myself as an actor for the past 25 years. And I don’t want people to say you have done it all, now what? I have a long way to go.”

Speaking about being recognised as Poo and Geet, Kareena added, “In the last 25 years, the first decade went in people assuming that I was Poo, and the other went in people thinking I am Bhatinda ki sikhni Geet. Maybe I am a mix of both. I want people to know that I am an actor who is very passionate about her job.”

“People like to see me in roles like Geet or Poo more, perhaps because they are more connected to the masses. In the next 25 years, I will try to play more different roles. While I have done films with superstars, which have been hits, I have also had a career that I have simultaneously built to prove myself as an actor. The X factor combined with talent and, of course, 30 per cent of luck is what takes you places,” she mentioned.

Kareena also spoke about the need for reinvention and elaborated, “At 17-18, it was all about wanting to be in every film. If you sustain for a decade, it’s about reinvention, which is scary in an industry which is male-dominated. Over the years, apart from me, there have been other brave actresses too who have taken big strides. Every five years, I ask myself, what new can I do now? It’s not just about being a part of successful films but leaving behind a legacy.”

“I come from a family (the Kapoors) where I have been challenged because they all are such amazing actors, but I want to leave my mark somewhere. Every 10 years, there is someone new, so how am I going to last? Sustaining yourself is tougher, so I like to make varied choices, be it Buckingham Murders, Singham, Crew or Jaane Jaan, which dropped on a streaming platform. I feel it would have done great on the big screen, too” she concluded.