24 October,2009 08:16 AM IST | | Subhash K Jha
Kareena Kapoor turned down Aamir director Raj Kumar Gupta's offer to play Jessica Lal in No One Killed Jessica. "I couldn't connect with the character. If I've to do a film with a socio-political theme, it'd have to be something like Kurbaan, which is about things that are happening today," said Kareena.
She added, "I want to do meaty parts with off-mainstream directors like Dibakar Banerjee and Raj Kumar Gupta. But the roles have to justify my presence. I can't do a bit part in an offbeat film just to prove I can act. Right now, I'm shooting for Stepmom and can't think of anything. Not even Saif's film, which is like my own home production," she said.
Beyond looks
The actress feels she has done enough films, where her looks and glamour quotient have been tapped.u00a0 "I want to do films that take me beyond my looks. I feel the need to exploreu00a0 my acting beyond what I've achieved so far.u00a0 My next two releases will take me beyond what I've done so far.
Kurbaan and 3 Idiots were very challenging in different ways. That's the kind of challenge I'm looking for," explained Kareena. "If I do offbeat roles, they better be worth my while. If I work with Sudhir Mishra again after Chameli, I'd want to do the title role," she said, hinting mischievously at her uncertainty about doing Mishra's Dhruv, where Farhan Akhtar plays the title role.
Sometimes, though, Kareena admits she does roles for emotional reasons. "I did Main Aurr Mrs Khanna because Karisma asked me to. She and Salman are old buddies and co-stars. I couldn't say no."
Jessica Lal case
Jessica Lal was a model in New Delhi. On April 29, 1999, Manu Sharma, son of a former Union minister, shot her dead after she refused him a drink at Tamarind Court, a restaurant owned by socialite Bina Ramani. Sharma was sentenced in February 2006.
