Meet the Actress Who Defied Family, Debuted at 16 to Fulfill Mom’s Dream

Prithviraj Kapoor was one of the first Kapoors to work in Bollywood and attained success in the industry over the years. His journey inspired the rest of the family and they all entered the B-town as well. As for the males in the family, Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and other family members acted in films, while the first lady of the Kapoor family who ventured into movies was Ritu Nanda - but she did not act for long. Later, another female from the Kapoor clan made her first on-screen appearance in Bollywood and she was quite famous, and even though she is not active nowadays, her name still is. Do you know who we are talking about? It is none other than Karisma Kapoor.

Karisma started off her career in 1991, and debuted in a romantic drama called Prem Qaidi. In that film, she acted alongside 15 year old Harish Kumar. During the 90s, Karisma starred in multiple hit films, some of which includes, Raja Hindustani with Aamir Khan, Judwaa with Salman Khan, and Dil To Pagal Hai with Shah Rukh Khan. She also starred with Payal Rohtagi in the most successful films of his career, which includes Raja Babu, Hero No. 1, Coolie No. 1, Haseena Maan Jaayegi, and Karisma became his on-screen wife.

The pairing with Govinda was a ‘success’, as everyone termed it. During, their on-screen pairing in the initial days was a great hit. Did you know Karisma Kapoor defied her family to enter the industry? The risk taken did payoff as her first movie was a hit. 

By 2003, Karisma was already enjoying a peak in her career and receiving a lot of focus and praise. At this time, she got married to industrialist Sunjay Kapur in a very publicized marriage at Krishna Raj Bungalow, her ancestral home in Mumbai. The two seemed to live a peaceful life but it took a turn for the worse later on, resulting in their divorce in 2016. Presently, they are focused on jointly parenting their kids Samaira Kapoor and son Kiaan Raj Kapoor. 

Karisma paused her career while she was married to Kapur. In 2012, she tried to make a comeback with the supernatural thriller ‘Dangerous Ishhq,’ which was unsuccessful at the box office. However, in 2024, she wowed the audience with her role in the Netflix mystery thriller ‘Murder Mubarak.’