Looking back at Kareena Kapoor’s Top 10 performances

By Subhash K. Jha -

September 21, 2015 - 1:01 AM IST

1. Refugee: The first ever glimpse we saw of Kareena onscreen was when she splashed water on her face and little droplets trickled down her translucent skin like pearls.

Looking back at Kareena Kapoor’s Top 10 performances

A superstar was born. Kareena reminded us of Nutan, Madhubala and Geeta Bali in her movie debut.

2. Asoka: As the fiery princess Kaurwaki, Kareena Kapoor inscribed her signature all over this role. This is one of her most underrated performances. Her screen presence was unique and

unforgettable. By far the best film she has done with Shah Rukh Khan and far superior to the mediocre Ra.One she did with him many years later. Watch her closely in the song 'Sansana

San'. You'll know why Alia Bhatt is considered the captivating K's descendent. Incidentally, Kareena changed her name to Karriena in this film for astro(il) logical reasons and then reverted to

her original spelling in her release. Whimisical.

3. Chameli: Director Sudhir Mishra wanted to take his association with Kareena Kapoor further after this film. But she, silly girl, had other priorities to attend to. A pity, because as the

streetwalker trapped one rainy night under a shelter with a businessman, Kareena was incandescent. She even hummed her mother-in-law Sharmila Tagore's timeless melody 'Raina Beetijaye',

though at that time she didn't know they'd be related as two generations of bewitching Beghums in Pataudi land.

4. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham: As the arrogant airheaded sexy and stubborn child-woman Kareena once again proved she was one of her kind.

5. Dev: A small part in a very big film about communal riots, Kareena appeared on screen for no more than 20 minutes. She blew the screen apart especially in the sequence where she

identifies rioters. This is the only film where Kareena used absolutely no makeup.

6. Yuva: Oh, how I wish she teamed up with Mani Ratnam again. As the mercurial whimsical and unpredictable Mira who breaks her arranged marriage to have a fling with the new man in her life

(Vivek, he ha, Oberoi), Kareena stole the film from the entire top heavy cast. Take a bow, Mrs Kapoor-Khan and preserve this performance for posterity.

7. We Are Family: Not an exceptional film. But see how stoutly Kareena held her ground against the formidable Kajol in this desi take on Stepmom. Kareena played the mistress' role as

calm and cool, real cool. Julia Roberts had played Kareena's role in the original. Julia would have been jealous.

8. Heroine: Madhur Bhandarkar's failed attempt to recreate the tumultuous life and times of a female superstar. But watch Kareena in the scenes where he must portray her fall from grace. She

did it with such....ummm... grace!

9. Omkara: As Dolly Mishra in Vishal Bhardwaj's take on Shakespeare's Othello, Kareena completely stripped herself of all vanity to play a woman who surrenders supremely to love and

falls prey to her loved one's jealous possessiveness. In the bad land milieu of North India, Kareena was unrecognizable.

10. Jab We Met: This is Kareena one-stop passport to immortality. As the loud, extroverted unstoppable Punjabi firecracker Geet, Kareena came up with a performance that only she could. This

is the one performance Kareena could show to her child if he or she demands to know what mom did to earn her living. Jab she swept.