14 October,2023 09:04 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Kareena Kapoor Khan and Priyanka Chopra
Kareena Kapoor Khan is the latest guest on Mid-day's âSit With Hitlist' series of interviews. The Bollywood diva is known for sharing her opinions and being candid in her conversations. During this interview on Sit With Hitlist, she used her characteristic honesty and charm as she recounted her journey through successes and failures.
After playing Poo in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, she had a whole string of forgettable films. The list includes movies like 'Mujhse Dosti Karoge,' 'Yaadein,' and 'Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon. "They were debacles, but they were all with the biggest directors in the country," she said.
Kareena reflected on her choices during that time, saying, "At that time, I was so young. I mean, how could you say no to a Sooraj Barjatya film or a Subhash Ghai film? They were all the biggest movies, and obviously, one thing is to be in them. But I wear my failures also as proudly as my successes, because somehow those films flopped but people always still loved me."
Looking back at the audience's unwavering support and belief in her talent, even in the face of commercial setbacks, she added, "I hold those films as close to me as a blockbuster."
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The conversation then shifted to Kareena's thoughts on her twenties. To this, Kareena responded, "When you look back, you are like, you had that zest." She explained, "You are constantly just rushing and you want to just prove myself; I want to be the best, it is a different kind of energy. Now I am like chill. Yeah, I should have just told her, you know, chill out."
She emphasised that turbulent phase of her life, saying, "You say foolish things or you take foolish decisions, but that's also part of the person I am today.
The conversation also delved into the competitive nature of the industry, where the media often pitted actresses against each other. Kareena spoke of the catfights that were reported in the '90s and early 2000s, remarking, "Oh God! The '90s were full of it, the '90s started, and in 2000, everyone was having a catfight. Kuch bhi bol do and catfight. Today, I mean, you don't even hear those things you know. Who knows? It must be happening as a thought, but things are a little different and more chilled out."
When asked about the infamous Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor "catfight" in Antwerp, the actress remarked, "No, no, no, all rubbish. I was like, what is going on? But I think maybe we all had that energy - you know, some sort of thing where we were all wanting to prove ourselves."
Kareena even dove headfirst into discussing the transformative power of age and experience, noting, "For me, it was just age when. As I entered my thirties, I suddenly felt I was a lot more relaxed. Maybe I had found a relationship, so you kind of balance your energies out. I think that also helped. And after giving a string of successes, then you are like okayâ¦."
In the end, Kareena acknowledged that her ambitions have evolved over the years. She admitted that she was not always fiercely ambitious, saying, "But you know what? I was not fiercely ambitious, strangely. I have never been that fiercely ambitious. I have been ambitious. But I am not. I don't know. It was a different ambition then, and now it's a completely different one."
She acknowledged that her focus has shifted to include considerations as a wife and mother. She summed up her current mindset with a single word: "Zen."