LIVING IN THE NOW

An OG in every sense of the word, Karisma Kapoor, with her versatile onscreen presence and inimitable style, is a girl for all seasons

- MEHERNAAZ DHONDY

This is the way I genuinely feel: I’ve been very lucky and grateful to have had an amazingly fulfilling career, a wonderful fan base and an audience, so that today for me it’s important to only do things that I like to do – so if I want to do a movie I’ll do it, if I want to do a magazine cover, I’ll do it. I’m also thankful that I’m in a position where I can take that call. I like to work at my own pace. I’m sailing in my own boat – let me put it that way.”

Karisma Kapoor has already killed a bunch of my impending questions with her hearty opening quote, let out almost as a waiver as we sit down on the couch to chat post the cover shoot. It’s hard not to take your eyes off her while she’s talking, she’s animated and her eyes speak a language of their own. There’s a brief sense of déjà vu but you know that’s it’s coming from a place of having watched her being this expressive on screen. There’s also a warm whiff of nostalgia when we talk about her films, but that’s where it ends. Because Karisma Kapoor is all about the now, and she always has been.

Kapoor dislikes the word comeback, and we unanimously agree that frankly she never went away anywhere to return, she simply prioritised in life. “I chose to stay away from the limelight – I had young children and it was important for me as a mother that I didn’t want to miss out on those moments. I think that’s a choice that each individual needs to make and that’s a choice I made.” She didn’t actively do movies, but chose things like doing a pregnancy book, a radio show, along with a constant stream of ads and endorsements. I ask if her decisions come from a place of confidence. “I don’t regret anything; I cherish and value it all. It’s important to be a confident human being and make those choices in life.”