Overview
Karisma Kapoor is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi cinema. A member of the Kapoor film family, she made her acting debut in 1991 and went on to become one of the leading female stars of Hindi films during the 1990s and early 2000s. She is the elder daughter of actor Randhir Kapoor and actress Babita, and the elder sister of actress Kareena Kapoor.
Key Facts
| Full name | Karisma Kapoor |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 June 1974, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1991 onwards |
| Father | Randhir Kapoor |
| Mother | Babita |
| Sister | Kareena Kapoor |
| Grandfather | Raj Kapoor |
| Debut film | Prem Qaidi (1991) |
| Major awards | National Film Award – Special Jury (Special Mention); Filmfare Award for Best Actress; multiple Filmfare Awards |
Background and Family
Karisma Kapoor belongs to the Kapoor family, a dynasty long associated with Hindi cinema. Her paternal grandfather, Raj Kapoor, was one of the most influential figures in Indian film history, and her great-grandfather, Prithviraj Kapoor, was a pioneer of Hindi theatre and cinema. Her uncles include actors Rishi Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor. Her mother, Babita, was a leading actress of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and her younger sister, Kareena Kapoor, is also a prominent Hindi film actress.
Karisma was the first woman from the Kapoor family to take up acting as a profession, breaking a long-standing convention within the family.
Career
Debut and rise (1991–1995)
She made her debut as a teenager in Prem Qaidi (1991), directed by K. Murali Mohana Rao. Through the early 1990s she appeared in a string of commercial films, including Jigar (1992), Anari (1993) and Andaz Apna Apna (1994), the last directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and now regarded as a cult comedy.
Stardom (1996–2000)
Karisma's career rose significantly with David Dhawan's Raja Hindustani (1996), opposite Aamir Khan, which became one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of the decade and won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She followed this with successful films such as Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), directed by Yash Chopra, in which her performance earned her the National Film Award – Special Jury / Special Mention and a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.
She paired frequently with Govinda in director David Dhawan's comedies, including Coolie No. 1 (1995), Hero No. 1 (1997), Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999) and Jodi No. 1 (2001), which became some of the most popular comedies of the era.
Her dramatic work in Fiza (2000), directed by Khalid Mohamed, and Zubeidaa (2001), directed by Shyam Benegal, brought her further critical recognition. She received the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for Fiza and was widely praised for her performance as the title character in Zubeidaa.
Later work and intermittent appearances (2003 onwards)
After her marriage in 2003, Karisma reduced her on-screen workload. She appeared in Baaz: A Bird in Danger (2003) before largely stepping away from leading roles. She returned to acting with Dangerous Ishhq (2012), directed by Vikram Bhatt, and later moved into web-based projects, including the streaming series Mentalhood (2020) and Brown (2024).
Personal Life
Karisma Kapoor married Delhi-based industrialist Sunjay Kapur in 2003; the couple had two children before their marriage was dissolved. She has subsequently lived in Mumbai with her children, while continuing to make selective public and professional appearances.
Significance
Karisma Kapoor is regarded as one of the leading Hindi film actresses of the 1990s. She was among the first mainstream stars of her generation to combine commercial dance-driven roles with serious dramatic performances, and she helped redefine the screen presence of leading women in popular Hindi cinema during that decade. Her decision to enter acting also marked a notable departure from the traditional reluctance of Kapoor family women to pursue film careers.
Selected Filmography
- Prem Qaidi (1991)
- Jigar (1992)
- Anari (1993)
- Andaz Apna Apna (1994)
- Coolie No. 1 (1995)
- Raja Hindustani (1996)
- Hero No. 1 (1997)
- Dil To Pagal Hai (1997)
- Biwi No. 1 (1999)
- Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999)
- Fiza (2000)
- Zubeidaa (2001)
- Shakti: The Power (2002)
- Dangerous Ishhq (2012)
- Mentalhood (2020, web series)
- Brown (2024, web series)
Awards and Recognition
- National Film Award – Special Jury / Special Mention for Dil To Pagal Hai (1997)
- Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Raja Hindustani (1996)
- Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Dil To Pagal Hai (1997)
- Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for Fiza (2000)
- Multiple additional Filmfare nominations across the 1990s and early 2000s