Kareena kapoor once again in bikini

Early work, until 2000
Kapoor was initially scheduled to make her debut in Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000), opposite his son, Hrithik Roshan.[18] However, several days into the filming, she abandoned the project and later explained that, "It was probably destined that I was not to be in the film. After all, it was a launch for his son. The whole focus was on the boy. Now I am glad I did not do the movie."[15]

After turning down Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, Kapoor made her acting debut later that same year in J.P. Dutta's war drama Refugee, opposite Abhishek Bachchan. Set during the Indo-Pakistani conflicts, the film centers on a young man known simply as Refugee (played by Bachchan) who illegally transports civilians back and forth across the Pakistan border. Kapoor portrayed the role of Naaz, a Bangladeshi girl who falls in love with him while migrating to Pakistan. Her performance was acclaimed by critics; Taran Adarsh of indiaFM wrote, "Kareena Kapoor has a magnetic personality, which will make the viewer fall in love with her instantly. What surprises you is the ease with which she emotes the most difficult of scenes [...] There's no denying the fact that she is a natural performer who is very camera friendly."[19] Kapoor's performance earned her the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award, and Refugee went on to become the fifth-highest grossing film of the year.[20]


[edit] Breakthrough, 2001–2003
In 2001, Kapoor starred opposite Tusshar Kapoor in Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, a romantic drama film directed by Satish Kaushik. Revolving around the story about a troubled young man who falls in love with Pooja, played by Kareena, the film went on to become one of the highest earners of the year.[3] However, subsequent releases such as Yaadein and Ajnabee that followed for Kapoor did indifferent business at the box office.[3]

Later that year, she starred in Santosh Sivan's period epic Asoka, a partly fictionalized account of the life of Ashoka the Great (304 BC–232 BC), one of the noted Indian emperors of the Maurya Empire. The film had a strong international release, including a screening at the Venice Film Festival and the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival.[21] Featured opposite Shahrukh Khan who took centre stage as Ashoka, Kapoor portrayed the character of Kaurwaki, a princess of Kalinga with whom Ashoka falls deeply in love. While the film received generally positive reviews, Kapoor's acting performance received a mixed reaction from some critics, with some believing her contribution to the film was primarily for aesthetic purposes. A review on Rediff.com said about her performance, "Kareena flashes a lot of skin and fills up the screen for a large portion of the first half. While a large portion of the first half is focused on the emerging romance between the runaway prince and herself and to their credit they do manage to whip up some on-screen chemistry, I am still unsure as to her acting abilities".[22] Nonetheless, her performance was praised by some critics and earned her a first nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards.[23]


Kapoor as "Poo" in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), her biggest commercial success.Kapoor's final release of 2001 was the drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, which was released on December 14 of that year and was directed by Karan Johar. The film—which had a multi-starred cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Hrithik Roshan—emerged as the second-highest-grossing film of the year in India, as well as Kapoor's highest-grossing movie to date. It also performed well internationally and became the year's top-grossing Bollywood film overseas, earning over Rs 800 million worldwide.[3][4] Her performance as "Poo" was well received by critics, and earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination. Taran Adarsh noted, "Kareena Kapoor is one of the main highlights of the film. She provides the much-needed fun and entertainment in the second half; her performance will be loved by the youth. Playing a cosmetic beauty to the hilt, she is simply adorable."[24]

During 2002 and 2003, Kapoor experienced a slump in her career. She featured in six films in total—Mujhse Dosti Karoge! and Jeena Sirf Merre Liye in 2002, and Talaash: The Hunt Begins..., Khushi, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon and the four hour J.P. Dutta war epic LOC Kargil in 2003—all of which proved critically and commercially unsuccessful in India. Yash Raj Films' Mujhse Dosti Karoge!, directed by Kunal Kohli on his debut, was a film with high public anticipation, yet it under-performed at the domestic box office despite generating revenue overseas.[25] One critic reported that "Kareena Kapoor is inconsistent. The actress looks ravishing in every frame, but she repeats her smug act in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham to an annoying effect here."[26] Another film during this period was Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, which released the following year. The film, directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya under the Rajshri Productions banner, also fared poorly at the box office in India despite becoming a success overseas.[27][28] Kapoor's performance was again identified by many critics as unoriginal and repetitive, with little inspiration. Her role was considered by some to be a repeat of her earlier performances and characters in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Yaadein, and her previous film Khushi.[29] At the time, critics expressed concern that Kapoor was becoming typecast. These negative reviews were fundamental in motivating her to embody different roles, often with a stronger essence of character, in the years that followed.[6][30]