In the last month, Kareena Kapoor Khan has been holidaying in Maldives with husband Saif and the rest of the Khan family. After which she joined her sister Karisma and mum Babita on a week-long break in London. And that’s it! Until December when Saif and she jet off to the snowy Gstaad in Switzerland, there will be no more holidays for the actress. Since she tied the knot with Saif, Kareena’s taken four-five major holidays every year, so this means a drastic cut. 

On the upside, for Kareena Kapoor fans this is good news. Not only is the actress back on screen with Salman Khan (once again) in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, she’s signed quite a few interesting films, including Abhishek Chaubey’s Udta Punjab and Rajkumar Gupta’s thriller. This is her 15th year in the business, and Kareena is going back to taking on author-backed roles.

t2 met the actress at JW Marriott in Mumbai to talk about her relationship with Salman, playing Anil Kapoor and his nephew Arjun Kapoor’s love interest, and the way forward for her career. 

What made you want to be a part of Bajrangi Bhaijaan?

People love to see Salman and me together. But more than that, I wanted to work with Kabir (Khan, the film’s director). I have worked with a wide variety of directors over the years and it’s always exciting to work with a new director. Kabir makes big blockbuster films, but they always have solid content. His films are not mindless. 

So the decision was based more on the relationship rather than your role?

Nooooo! It is a beautiful story. It’s not the kind of story where we are in New York and suddenly we break out into a song in Italy! This film has a sweet love story.

Was the experience of working with Kabir everything you had hoped it would be?

Kabir normally makes these beautiful travelogues where the story moves from one exotic location to another. Bajrangi... is more about the story and relationships. So, in that sense, it’s different from what he’s done in the past. He is unlike a lot of directors I have worked with. Technically, he is very brilliant. 

You have known Salman from before you became an actress. Do you remember the first time you met him?

Yes! He was doing a film called Nishchaiy (1992) with Karisma. I think Karisma was about 16 then and I was about 10. So ya, I have known Salman for a really, really long time. He worked so much with Karisma and now he and I have done so many films together. Through all of this our relationship has only grown. 

What kind of a relationship do you share with Salman?

We are like family. When his sister (Alvira) produced her first film Bodyguard, I was a part of it. I was a part of (Salman’s brother) Arbaaz’s first directorial venture Dabangg 2 with Fevicol se. Bajrangi... is the first film under the Salman Khan Films banner and he wanted me to be a part of it. So, there is an equation and chemistry that works for him. We have mutual respect for each other as actors. We have loads of fun together. And both of us know that the other person is there for them in times of need. Both Karisma and I have always stood by him and we are firm supporters of him. 

When you think of Salman Khan, the first thing that comes to mind is unfazed. He is unfazed by his success or failure and that’s what makes him the biggest superstar. Contrary to what people think, he is very calm and composed as a person. He has barely changed in the 25 years that I have known him. Though his biceps have become bigger! (Laughs)

Salman’s had more than his share of run-ins with the law…

Salman’s seen a lot of ups and downs both in his personal and professional life. And he’s always risen like the phoenix. He really is a cat with nine lives. Regardless of whatever anyone says, nothing can take away from the fact that Salman is a brilliant person. I am one among the millions who will always love and support him.  

You are one of the rare actresses in the industry who have worked with all four Khans. Salman, Aamir, Shah Rukh and Saif are very different as actors. How would you compare them?

They are all four such different people and I am so glad you mentioned that. I don’t understand why they are all pitted against each other all the time. They are very different people who make very different kinds of films. People have to understand that there was a time when there was a Raj Kapoor, a Dev Anand, a Dilip Kumar and a Rajendra Kumar. They all co-existed without all this rubbish competition. 
As for their working styles, Aamir is very methodical and precise while Salman is more chilled out. Salman pretends like he is not concerned about anything or that he doesn’t know anything, but he is very sharp. Shah Rukh is a team player. He wants everyone to be their best on set. That’s what I love about Shah.
And Saif?
(Laughs) What do you want me to say about Saif? Obviously, I love working with him the most. 

This is your 15th year in the business…

Ya... how exciting is that! Soon it will be 20 years. I have played Anil Kapoor’s wife in Bewafaa (2005) and now I play (his nephew) Arjun’s wife in (R.) Balki’s next. It’s amazing that I have managed to do that in one career.
I am still passionate about acting and being in front of the camera and I hope I can do it for the rest of my life because I don’t know anything else. I have had an amazing journey. I have worked with some fabulous people and I found love here. People told me that getting married would mean the end of my career, but I have proven them wrong. It is possible to be an independent working married woman in Bollywood. 

We can have it all... 

Exactly! I don’t understand why I can’t be greedy for great roles and want to spend time with my husband and take care of our home. Why do I have to choose one over the other?

Though in the last few years since you got married, it seems like you’ve only signed up for big blockbuster kind of films instead of taking risks like you did with films like Dev, Chameli and even Jab We Met...

Ya... and it was a conscious decision. I was entering a new phase of my life and I wanted to focus on that a little more than my work. So my priorities did shift from working round-the-clock to setting up a home, travelling and spending time with Saif and my new family. Instead of taking a break to settle in, I wanted to do films that seemed ‘safer’. I wasn’t ready to experiment. I knew the day I got settled in my personal life, I’ll open the door to all kinds of films and the offers will come. That’s exactly what happened.
It was really hard to pick from the offers that I got. I have an Udta Punjab and Balki’s film and Rajkumar’s (Gupta) thriller. I did try with a film like Heroine, but it didn’t work. Having said that, I love my song-and-dance routines. Like I am doing an item song in Brothers (starring Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra). But again, when you see the song you’ll see how much fun I am having. 

Happy with where you are today?

Absolutely... I am content. Most actresses’ careers start slumping after a decade. I am close to completing two decades and that for me is an achievement. Also a little scary (laughs).

In contrast, Saif has been going through a bit of a rough patch. What has been your advice to him?

He has worked longer than me. He’s been around for 22 years and he’s gone through a phase like this before. So, he doesn’t really need my advice. Everyone has faith in his versatility as an actor. It’s just one good film and he’ll bounce back. I think he knows that his choices didn’t work. The problem was that he was trying to be someone he is not. Sometimes you sign a film because people around you say that you should be doing that kind of film. I told him to stop listening to other people and do the kind of films he connects with. There will be hundreds of people who will give you advice and you just have to shut them out. 

Karishma Upadhyay
Which of the Khans does Kareena look best with on screen? Tell t2@abp.in