Kareena Kapoor says reinvention helped her excel in last 20 years, credits husband Saif for showing her ‘bigger picture’

Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan is arguably among the biggest names in Bollywood right now. With two prestigious and mega projects like Laal Singh Chaddha and Takht in her kitty, she is easily the reigning diva of the Hindi film industry. This, when the industry, is known to be ruthless with married female actors. Speaking to Mid Day, Kareena revealed how reinvention and staying detached have served her well.

She was quoted in the publication as saying: “I am aware of the industry dynamics, and have adequately reinvented myself. People who don’t have their head on their shoulders can’t stand the pressures. Here, people around constantly boost your ego; having 40 million followers on Instagram and earning heaps of praise can create a false haze. But I have lived the last two decades by detaching myself. It’s an art that I have mastered over the years.”

Kareena has constantly pushed the envelope when it comes to industry’s relationship with female actors. She believes that along with the new lot of actors like Kangana Ranaut, she is helping change the narrative. She continued: “Kangana [Ranaut], Vidya [Balan], Priyanka [Chopra Jonas] and I picked up films that moulded different narratives for women. There was a shift in audience mentality. Actors, who are in their 30s, are a lot more relaxed now; they chase stories before everything else.”

Be it with her choice of films, demanding pay parity with male actors or handling fame, her husband Saif Ali Khan has been a constant source of advice and guidance. She added how Saif has always shown her the ‘bigger picture’. She said, “As actors, we meet the same people, talk about which film is being made, which brand endorsement you missed, which director you want to meet for the next big role. This loop gets toxic. For me, reinvention is getting the big picture right and [that is achieved] by knowing more about the world. I have had the privilege of taking a step back, travelling, reading, and meeting people who have nothing to do with this world. I owe that to Saif.”

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Kareena saw the release of Good Newwz this year, which has scored big at the box office. Paired opposite Akshay Kumar, the film is about two couples, desperately trying for a baby and what happens when their sperms get exchanged at an IVF centre. Diljit Dosanjh and Kiara Advani played the other couple in the film. Kareena is currently shooting for Laal Singh Chaddha with Aamir Khan in Punjab. Sometime later this year, she will begin work on Takht, a Karan Johar directorial. Her latest release Angrezi Medium, which stars Irrfan and Radhika Madaan in lead roles, has been hit by the coronavirus outbreak.

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