When Karisma Kapoor entered the group of Prem Kaidi in 1991, she was barely out of school. Three and a half decades later, as she marks 35 years in Hindi cinema, the actress talks about the trajectory of her career, but how profoundly the craft of filmmaking has transformed around her.
According to an interview with The Indian Express’ Screen, Karisma was just 16 when she made her debut in K Murali Mohana Rao’s musical drama Prem Qaidi, which released on June 21, 1991. Looking back, she is amazed at how quickly the years have flown by.
“My first film released four days before my 17th birthday. So, I dropped out of school immediately. I went to college for a few days, and then I was straight into the shooting of Prem Qaidi. I also remember the shooting of Mahurat. Time flew by so fast,” says Karisma.
For actors of the early 1990s, performing on set came with challenges that today’s stars rarely experience. One of the most difficult aspects, Karisma recalled, was working under the intense lighting used before technological advances reshaped film production.
“The lighting was very harsh. We had a hard time opening our eyes,” adds the actor.
Over the years, Karisma has witnessed Bollywood’s transition from film reels to digital cameras and from post-production dubbing to dubbing sound recording. She credits these changes with making performances more natural and immersive, pointing to Shyam Benegal’s 2001 film Zubeidaa as a turning point in her understanding of the craft.
“Obviously, it was all very new. And then I realized, and I think all actors would agree, that your real performance comes out when it’s in sync, because you’re in that moment. Try as we might, we can’t get the same emotion in a dark AC room during dubbing. I think it made it easier with all the focus and silence.”
During the 1990s, Karisma became one of Hindi cinema’s top stars, effortlessly moving between broad comedies, family dramas, romances and action films.
Audiences embraced her comic timing in a string of box office hits, including David Dhawan’s Raja Babu, Coolie no. 1, Saajan Chale father-in-lawJudwaa, Hero no. 1, Biwi no. 1 and Haseena Maan Jaayegi. At the same time, she gave memorable performances in films such as Rajkumar’s cult favorite Santoshi Andaz Apna ApnaRaj Kanwar’s Jeet, Dharmesh Darshan’s blockbuster Raja Hindustani, Yash Chopra’s Dil To Pagal Hai and Sooraj Barjatya’s ensemble family drama Hum Saath-Saath Hain.
At the height of her career, Karisma stepped away from the limelight after her marriage to Delhi-based businessman Sunjay Kapur in 2003. As her appearances on the big screen became rare, the actress eventually returned to Mumbai and began charting a new phase in her career.
Her comeback came with Vikram Bhatt’s Dangerous ex in 2012, but it is in the broadcast era that Karisma has reinvented herself for a new generation of viewers. From portraying a modern mother struggling with personal challenges to ATTITUDE to appearing in Homi Adajania’s murder mystery comedy Assassination of Mubarak, she has taken on a variety of roles. Most recently, she starred in Abhinay Deo’s investigative thriller Brown, underscoring her willingness to explore darker and more layered characters as her career continues to evolve.
