Karisma Kapoor has never chased stardom; instead, she chose to focus on her love for acting. While many actresses of her era leaned towards soft, traditional roles, she consistently took on complex characters. In Shakti: The Power, she played a mother fighting to save her child, in Zubeidaa, a royal second wife, and in Fiza, a sister searching for her brother during the 1993 Bombay riots. Through each role, she proved her range as an actor. Reflecting on her journey, she said she has never been in a rat race and has always followed her own path in life and films.
Karisma Kapoor On Playing Challenging Characters
In an exclusive chat with Zoom, said, “For me, it was always about the love of acting rather than fitting into the framework of being a star. Of course, in the beginning, you’re always learning, growing, and wanting to prove yourself. But beyond a point, it’s also about artistic satisfaction. So yes, definitely, when I got the opportunity, when my fans and filmmakers saw the talent, and I was offered films like Fiza, Zubeidaa, and Shakti, I genuinely wanted to do them. That excited me at the time.”
“I think, as a person and as an actor, I’ve never followed the norm. I felt I had to do those films, and I really enjoyed doing them,” she added.
Karisma Kapoor On Brown
Karisma will be next seen in ,a crime drama set to release on Zee5. She essays the role of a troubled cop struggling with alcoholism and depression.
Karisma Kapoor in Brown
She said that everyone processes things differently, and for her, she completely immersed herself in the world of Brown. She explained that the team shot in Kolkata for 50 days under gruelling conditions and extreme heat, while also working in some difficult locations. According to her, it allowed them to experience the city in a raw and real way, unlike typical actor visits where they stay in air-conditioned hotels, making the experience intense, gritty, and deeply immersive.
Karisma Kapoor Reveals She Initially Rejected Brown
She further revealed that she had initially said no to Brown. Karisma recalled telling the makers, “I don’t act much. I lead my own life. I’m in my own race, at my own pace, in my own lane. I’m not part of any rat race.”|
She said that the team kept insisting she do the project, telling her she had to be a part of it. However, she admitted that she had not even heard the script initially and simply did not want to travel to another city for 50 days. They urged her to at least listen to the story, but she remained uninterested at first. She added that when she finally heard the script, she immediately felt it was the kind of project that would make her want to return to a film set. “It was great fun, but it was also very challenging, and I enjoyed that balance,” said the actress.
When asked about the toughest part of the role, Karisma said there were many challenging aspects, but the biggest one was portraying a broken character who had been stripped of everything. She explained, “I’m not a drinker. I’m not a smoker. I’m not a grungy person. In fact, I’m quite the opposite. I’m very conservative and proper. So that was the real challenge for me.”
She also spoke about playing a “not-so-feminine” character with a rough edge to her personality and called it a fascinating process.
Brown, also starring Jisshu Sengupta, Surya Sharma, Soni Razdan and Helen, is set to release on June 5.