Karisma Kapoor

Biography

Karisma Kapoor (born 25 June 1974) is an Indian actress, who primarily works in Hindi films. A member of the Kapoor family, she is the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and the elder sister of actress Kareena Kapoor.

Kapoor is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Film Award and four Filmfare Awards.

Kapoor made her acting debut with the film Prem Qaidi in 1991 and subsequently played the leading lady in a number of box office hits, including Jigar (1992), Anari (1993), Raja Babu (1994), Coolie No. 1 (1995), Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), and Jeet (1996).

Starring roles in the top-grossing romances Raja Hindustani (1996) and Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), established her as a star.

She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the former, the National Film Award, and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for the latter.

Kapoor cemented her status by starring in five of David Dhawan's comedies—Judwaa (1997), Hero No.1 (1997), Biwi No.1 (1999), Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999) and Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge (2000), and the family drama Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999).

In the early 2000s, Kapoor won the Best Actress and Best Actress (Critics) awards at Filmfare for her titular roles in the dramas Fiza (2000) and Zubeidaa (2001).

She took a sabbatical from acting after leading the television soap opera Karishma: The Miracles of Destiny (2003–2004), and has since acted sporadically, starring in the thriller Dangerous Ishhq (2012) and the web series Mentalhood (2020).

Kapoor was married to businessman Sanjay Kapur from 2003 to 2016 – the couple have two children together. She has been featured as a talent judge for several reality shows.

Kapoor was born on 25 June 1974 in Mumbai, to actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita (née Shivdasani). Her younger sister, Kareena, is also a film actress.

Her paternal grandfather was the actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor, while her maternal grandfather was actor Hari Shivdasani.

Her paternal great-grandfather was actor Prithviraj Kapoor. The actors Rishi and Rajiv Kapoor are her uncles, while the actress Neetu Singh and entrepreneur Ritu Nanda are her aunts.

Her first cousins include the actors Ranbir Kapoor, Armaan Jain and Aadar Jain, and Nikhil Nanda. The actors Shammi and Shashi Kapoor are her grand-uncles, and the late actress Sadhana was her mother's first cousin.

Kapoor is informally called "Lolo" at her home. According to Kapoor, the name, Lolo, was derived after her mother made a passing reference to the Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida.

Both of her paternal and maternal grandparents were from Peshawar, Lyallpur, and Karachi respectively, who moved to Bombay for their film careers before the partition of India.

Kapoor is of Punjabi Hindu descent on her father's side, and on her mother's side she is of Sindhi Hindu and British descent.

Particularly inspired by the work of actresses Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit, Kapoor was keen on pursuing acting since childhood.

While growing up, Kapoor regularly attended award ceremonies and was accompanied by her parents to film sets.

However, despite her family background, her father disapproved of women working in films, because he believed it conflicted with the traditional maternal duties and responsibilities of women in the family.

This led to a conflict between her parents and they separated in 1988. She and her sister Kareena were raised by their mother, who worked several jobs to raise them, until she made her debut in films as an actress. The couple reconciled in 2007, after living separately for several years.

Kapoor studied at the Cathedral and John Connon School and later, for a few months at Sophia College. Kapoor later said that she left college to pursue acting for financial support.