KARISHAMA KAPOOR BIO GRAOHY

A few years ago, Karisma was                        

admired more for her "Sexy Sexy"                                                                  

 dances rather than her high voltage                                

 histrionics. However, with strong and

moving performances in movies such as

"Raja Hindustani" and "Dil To

Pagal Hai", Karisma has finally proven

all her detractors wrong.

It was her role as Aarthi in the super-hit of 1996 Raja Hindustani that bagged Karisma her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 1997 and vaulted her into the big league. The following year, she managed to successfully follow up with numerous awards including the much coveted National Award for her role as Nisha in the much loved Dil To Pagal Hai.

Currently, Karisma is on a winning streak: her last few films have all been hits at the box office and she has been deservedly crowned as the new Number One in the 1998 Movie Opinion Poll, beating out Madhuri and Kajol for the title.

Since Karisma joined the film industry in 1990 at the tender age of sixteen, she has made nearly forty films. That's an amazing rate of nearly six films a year! She started off with a bang in Prem Qaidi, attracting attention for her daring decision to not only wear a swimsuit in the film, but also prance around in it for a good ten minutes! Controversies aside, the film went on to become a hit and gave Karisma a firm foothold in the industry. Her first movie was followed by a spate of largely unremarkable films in the early 90s. Though Karisma still managed to regularly churn out a hit or two a year (Anari, Jigar) these were interspersed with a number of eminently forgettable films such as Jaagruti, Nischaiy, Muqabla, and Sapne Saajan Ke. With contemporaries Manisha Koirala and Kajol racing ahead, Karisma was no longer the golden girl.

In 1994, a little film called Khuddar became the favourite topic of conversation in the Bollywood Film Industry. Not for its original screenplay or powerhouse performances, but rather for the presence of an innocuous song and dance routine known as "Sexy Sexy". Both the magazines and the television had a field day with the Censor Board's decision to change the name of the song to "Baby Baby" and to cut out some of the dance sequences which were deemed "risque".
Coupled with the hue and cry raised over the "vulgar" dance steps in Andaz and Raja Babu, Karisma was once again pushed into the spotlight. Karisma defended herself valiantly ("I only did what the Dance Director told me to do, I was just doing my job!") but to little avail. While the media wasn't altogether supportive about Miss Kapoor, the attention certainly wasn't unwelcome, and served to keep her name on everyone's lips during the better part of 1994.

Karisma returned in 1995 determined to wipe her slate clean and start anew. With her on-screen beau Govinda, she managed to rack up hits galore (Raja Babu, Coolie No. 1, Saajan Chale Sasural) over the next few years. Even smaller budget films like Khuddar and Dulaara did well, primarily due to the screen-magic between the star pair. In addition, her hits Suhaag, Andaz Apna Apna and Yeh Dillagi served to augment her status as a "hit-heroine". Then came 1996, the year that would change the star equations forever. Karisma started the year off on a happy note when her Govinda-starrer Saajan Chale Sasural became a hit. However, it was at the end of the year that Karisma-fever really caught on. Raja Hindustani was released and became a super hit. Karisma was praised for her sensitive yet strong portrayal of Aarthi, and eventually won a Filmfare Award in 1997 for her efforts.

 Armed with a new wardrobe and a new look, Karisma is now one of the top box-office draws in Bollywood. A spate of consecutive hits since Raja Hindustani (Hero No.1, Jeet, Judwaa, Dil To Pagal Hai and more recently Biwi No.1, Haseena Maan Jaayegi and Hum Saath Saath Hain) have served to further consolidate her position and have led to her crowning as Bollywood's Heroine No. 1.

BY : SONIA ARORA