KARISMA KAPOOR

Surprises never cease!

The Kapoor dynamo has sprung a surprise at the turnstiles each time she was written off. After the success of Biwi No 1 and Haseena Maan Jaayegi, Karisma Kapoor’s cock-a-hoop again. At long last, people are willing to forget the disaster of Silsila Hai Pyar Ka. Now, they’re even hinting at a hat-trick of hits with Sooraj Barjatya’s much-awaited Hum Saath Saath Hain. And, who knows, even an encore with her subsequent releases...

I’ll continue working in films as long as work excites me. That’s the reason I’m here, and the only reason I’ll remain.

I meet Karisma in Hyderabad, at a film shoot, of course. She is busy wrapping up a song sequence with buddy Akshay Kumar, on a grand set erected at Annapoorna Studios. For producer Suneil Darshan’s soon to be released Jaanwar.

Her shots are invariably okayed in a jiffy. And between shots, we get chatting.

“I’m thrilled people liked me in both my recent releases, especially Biwi No 1. In fact, after the film’s release there’s been a drastic change in the tone of my fan mail. When Raja Hindustani was released, my fans comprised mostly young girls in their teens. After Biwi No 1 I even seem to have won over their moms! I’ve had letters from married women, who claim they liked me immensely in the film. Some even confess the story could well have been culled from their own personal lives — especially the bit about the husband falling for the nubile, undisguised charms of another woman. The way I stand up for my just desserts as the wronged woman, has been nothing short of inspirational, they say. Come to think of it, isn’t that touching?

“Some fans admit they’re just about to tie the knot. No, they don’t anticipate any problems just yet. But should problems such as infidelity arise, such as the film dealt with, they’d know just what to do, to take the fight to the intruder,” she laughs.

Now that Karisma’s next, Hum Saath Saath Hain is ready to hit the screens, she is very upbeat about the film.

“I was always a great fan of Soorajji’s”, Karisma confesses, “having seen both his previous films, Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun several times over. In fact, when Hum Aapke Hain Kaun was recently screened on TV, I reached home early, and saw the film from beginning to end. You bet it’s been my dream to work with him, though I least expected it to come true so soon. My joy knew no bounds when he offered me the film. He narrated the entire script to me in detail, yes, complete with dialogues and songs. When he narrated the emotional scenes, tears would even roll down his cheeks. I was spell bound. It was as if I’d seen the complete film already!

“Working with the young legend was equally great! We had a nice, homely atmosphere on the sets. Soorajji as always, was relaxed, all smiles. He knew exactly what he wanted from each of us, yet was patient till he got it. Once again, he has made a great film,” exults Karisma.

Interestingly, Karisma is just one among several characters in the film. Indeed, there were rumours too, that she was upset with the Rajshris after she discovered her role was drastically cut, rumours she flatly, emphatically denies.

“There indeed are several characters in the film. But all of them are well-etched, rounded and true-to-life. I don’t think any one can complain about brevity of role,” claims Karisma.

Karisma admits to being bitterly let down by the outcome of Silsila Hai Pyar Ka, especially since she’d liked the script very much and it had a sweet, sensitive story.

“In the final analysis, the film did not shape up quite as well as it should have, perhaps because a lot of other ingredients such as action, which were not originally planned were added to beef up its chances at the box-office. Consequently, we seem to have lost track of the basic storyline somehow. I can’t possibly think of another reason why the film didn’t do well,” says Karisma.

Recently, Karisma has signed Shyam Benegal’s next, Zubaida, in which she has been paired alongside the redoubtable Manoj Bajpai.

“I’ve been waiting for such an offer for a long time. I have always maintained I was ready for good, challenging roles in meaningful cinema. That money was never a criterion. So when I got Shyam Benegal’s offer, my reaction was, ‘Why not!’.

“Another such film I’m looking forward to is, Fiza being directed by Khalid Mohammed. I’ve been cast opposite Jaya Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan. The role’s a very challenging one, too,” she promises.

Her other releases on which she has pinned a great deal of hope are Kundan Shah’s Hum To Mohabbat Karega and Suneil Darshan’s Jaanwar. Karisma is agog with childlike excitement about her role in the Kundan Shah movie, which has her playing a TV journalist. “It is fun to work with Kundanji. Like David Dhawan, he specialises in comedy films, too, but his concept of comedy is vastly different from David’s. While David’s films have a great deal of dhamaal, Kundanji’s films are much more subdued. Yet, they’re every bit as hilarious,” she says.

Last year, as is well known by now, none of Karisma’s films were released. She’s made up for the deficit this year, when she’s had three releases, Biwi No.1, Haseena Maan Jaayegi and now, Hum Saath Saath Hain. Or make that four, counting the soon-to-be-released Jaanwar. Apart from that, the buzz is, she has signed more than a dozen films. So is she making up for lost time?

“When my films don’t hit theatres for a year, people ask me am I on my way out? When I sign films, they ask me am I on a signing spree? People can be so hard to please,” laughs Karisma.

So, no, Karsima isn’t about to go on a diet where roles are concerned, though ideally, she sets four releases a year as a healthy, workwomanlike average. “I’ve never planned my releases, yet. And I don’t think I shall start now. As and when exciting offers come my way, I shall continue to lap them all up, provided I have time enough to spare for them,” she says.

TIme for the next shot. We’ve timed our little chat to perfection. It’s back to work for the Kapoor lass, work she holds so dear. “I’ll continue working in films as long as work excites me. That’s the reason I’m here, and the only reason I’ll remain,” she concludes. Amen.

A SISTER ACT
Sister Kareena, kid no longer, is the latest toast of moviedom, having signed a spate of new launches. But Karisma can’t help the typical elder sister attitude, and she’s every bit as protective as big sisters go. “Obviously, I’m thrilled for her. I know she has the talent to deserve the offers she’s been getting. And the discipline to match. After all, she ain’t a Kapoor girl for nothing! But I do hope they’d stop expecting big things from her too soon, and treat her as they would any other newcomer...,” she trails off. Is anybody listening?

LEAD PAIR NO 1!
We come round to asking Karisma the million dollar question. Is it true there is a rift between her and Govinda now, that they are no longer working in films together? Is this the end of the road for the hot pair, that launched several hits together?

“Rift?,” she shoots back, stifling an obvious grin. “There is no rift at all. Chi Chi and I are very fond of each other. The threesome of David Dhawan, Govinda and me have had a record number of hits together, so we do share a special bond. Even if there were problems between us, we’d immediately thrash them out. He’s like part of the family. Besides, I’m looking forward to my next release with him, Shikari, a thriller. Watch out for him in it, he has a very unique role,” she adds.

Alok Mathur