New Delhi: Kareena Kapoor is a member of the famous Bollywood Kapoor family, known as the "first family of Hindi cinema." Even her great-grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor was one of the most well-known actors of his day, and her grandfather Raj Kapoor was a pioneer of Hindi cinema. However, there was an unwritten rule in the Kapoor family that women weren't allowed to work in the film industry. None of her aunts, either those who were born into the Kapoor family or those who married into it, were actors, and those who were, like her mother Babita or aunt Neetu Kapoor, retired from the profession after getting married.
However, Karisma, Kareena's sister, was the first member of the family to not only decide to pursue acting but also succeed as a star in her own right. Kareena complimented her father, who adapted with the times and supported her and her sister to pursue a career in acting, at The Indian Express' Express Adda event in Mumbai on Monday.
She said, "I think my dad has been one of the coolest fathers ever." Actor Randhir Kapoor, Raj Kapoor's oldest son, is Kareena's father. When they were both actors, Babita and Randhir got married. Even in Randhir's feature film debut Kal Aaj Aur Kal, which also starred Raj Kapoor and Prithviraj Kapoor, they contributed.
Kareena acknowledged that Karisma's era was more difficult because she was the first Kapoor woman to enter acting and dispel the stereotype that Kapoor women couldn't be actresses. With Prem Qaidi, Karisma made her acting debut in 1991. "Karisma's period was challenging because she was one of the first Kapoor females, but never claim that my father didn't support her, and never say... Even now, he will apologise and say, "Oh no, okay, focus on your work," if he phones me and he knows I'm filming. He's incredibly cosmopolitan and open-minded, and he's always been so kind about everything, she said. She described her father as a man who has been "way ahead of his time."
When asked why the Kapoor women didn't work in films earlier, Kareena remarked that "times were different" at the time. "In the 1970s and other decades, things were different because of the times. They never truly worked together after being married, but I'm delighted my father adjusted to the times since that's what it's all about. For your children, you must continuously change. Not living in the past is also crucial, she added.
Kareena made her acting debut in the year 2000 in the movie Refugee, and she continues to appear in Hindi films today. She will next be seen in Jaane Jaan by Sujoy Ghosh.