Actor Karisma Kapoor has spent more than three decades in Bollywood. Having started acting as a teenager, the star believes an artist’s learning process never truly ends. Adapting yourself with time, she says, is an actor’s greatest quality.
In a recent interview with Bombay Times, Karisma said: “Acting means reinventing yourself every day. Not just every film, but every single day has taught me something new. I’ve learned so much from different people and film sets. It’s through this continuous learning that an artist grows.”
Karisma began her acting career at just 16. Her first film, Prem Qaidi, released just four days before her 17th birthday. She considers herself to have grown up in the film industry itself.
In Karisma’s words: “I started working at a very young age. So I grew up within the industry itself. I learned from life’s ups and downs and my own experiences. I progressed step by step. When I look back and think certain things could have been done differently, that’s when I realize I’ve grown more mature as an actor.”
Karisma has recently worked on OTT content such as Mentalhood and Brown. In her view, the nature of work in film, television and OTT are all completely different.
She said: “OTT is quite different from films. I found it fairly challenging. Because on a single day of shooting a series, you might have to shoot scenes from episode one alongside scenes from episode seven. So the pace and method of work are different. For film actors, OTT is about adapting yourself in a new way.”
Karisma said she never planned her career with great deliberation. Instead, she gave more weight to her own wishes and instincts.
“I’ve always been the kind of person who did something if I wanted to, and didn’t if I didn’t. I never planned my career too much. But I’ve been fortunate to get the chance to work in many memorable films and extraordinary roles,” said the Raja Hindustani star.
Karisma currently serves as a judge on the popular television show India’s Best Dancer. But dance had become part of her life long before her professional career began.
Recalling her childhood memories, she said she and her younger sister, Kareena Kapoor Khan, used to dance at home listening to film songs. Karisma was especially a big fan of the late actor Sridevi. She said: “As a child, I was a huge fan of Sridevi. Kareena and I would dance in front of our parents to the song ‘Thathaiya Thathaiya, Nainon Mein Sapna.’ Dance has always been very important to me.”
In the actor’s words: “Our family has a long tradition of dance. Shammi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor — each had their own dancing style. So dance has always remained an inseparable part of our lives.”