Kareena Kapoor: In A Committed Relationship With Herself

Before films, before ‘size zero’, even before Saif, Kareena Kapoor Khan was in a committed relationship with herself. How can you help but love someone who loves herself so damn much, asks Deepa Menon.

- Deepa Menon

Perhaps it’s the fallout of being interviewed for 16 years and being asked the same kind of questions each time, but Kareena Kapoor Khan tends to pepper her replies with safe platitudes. ‘Moderation is key.’ ‘I’m a director’s actor.’ ‘To each her own.’ You cannot squeeze any sensational headlines out of that, and that suits her just fine. More interestingly, sometimes when you’re halfway through a question, she does a sort of mental autofill and answers the question she thinks you’re asking. It leads the conversation in a different, and sometimes more revealing, direction.

Like, when asked if she’s always loved herself, she sighs, “People have this impression of me,” as if she was being accused of something like arrogance. But this quality is one of the most endearing things about her. Kareena Kapoor (way before the Khan) has always stood out for seeming completely happy with who she is. It’s no coincidence that the roles she’s best remembered for — Geet from Jab We Met, Poo from KabhiKabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, the title role in Chameli — are ones marked for their rebellious self-regard. She is pure charisma on screen and powerful in the hands of more ambitious directors, like Vishal Bhardwaj (Omkara, 2006) and Govind Nihalani (Dev, 2004). But even in her item songs, Kapoor has a way of rising above the macho tawdriness of whatever scene she’s placed in. No matter what the costume, she’s always feeling her look, and it’s so fun to watch.