As Kareena Kapoor Khan marks 25 years in the film industry, her journey from debuting in Refugee to playing iconic characters like Poo in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Geet in Jab We Met has left a lasting impact on Bollywood. These roles became so iconic that they almost defined her public image. However, Kareena, fondly known as Bebo, recently addressed the need to move beyond these roles at an event celebrating her career — the Kareena Kapoor Khan Film Festival.
“I Can’t Keep Doing Geet”
Speaking to the media at the event, Kareena expressed her desire to evolve as an actress. “I can’t only keep doing Geet all my life,” she said, acknowledging the immense popularity of her earlier characters. She added in Hindi, “Aadi zindagi aesehe chali gai, pehle 10 saal, ke log samajhte they ke ye Geet he hai. Ab ye Poo-type ke he roles… log mujhe waisa samajhne lage the. (The first 10 years of my life went by with people thinking that I was Geet, and they started offering me only ‘Poo-type roles’).”
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Kareena revealed that if she had continued accepting similar roles, her career wouldn’t have led to the kind of recognition she’s receiving today, including the honour of a film festival named after her. She emphasised that her decision to take on diverse characters over the years has defined her longevity in the industry.
The Next Big Project
As she celebrates her silver jubilee in Bollywood, Kareena is also preparing for her next major project. An industry insider exclusively told Pinkvilla that the actress has been approached for some of the biggest Pan-India films in the past nine months. “She has signed one that could be the ‘biggest and most exciting feature film of Indian cinema’ in the next two years,” the source revealed. The role is unlike anything Kareena has done before, and the director is one of the most celebrated and bankable in Indian cinema today.
Upcoming Films
On the work front, Kareena was last seen in Crew alongside Tabu, Kriti Sanon, and Diljit Dosanjh. She is also part of Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again, where she will share the screen with Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Ranveer Singh, and Deepika Padukone. The highly anticipated action film is set to release this Diwali.