Karisma Kapoor

Karisma Kapoor (born 25 June 1974) is an Indian actress, who appears in Hindi films. One of the most popular and highest-paid actresses of India, Kapoor is particularly known for her work in the female-centric films and her film roles have been credited as a significant departure from the traditional portrayal of women in Hindi films. Kapoor is often regarded as the nation's most beautiful actress, and is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Film Award and four Filmfare Awards. Born and raised in Mumbai, she is a member of the Kapoor family, where her parents and other relatives are all involved in the Indian film industry. Despite her family background, her father disliked women entering films, and separated from her mother. Kapoor, at the age of seventeen, left her studies to pursue a film career for financial support, and made her acting debut with a leading role in the moderately successful Prem Qaidi (1991). Subsequently, Kapoor starred in a number of box-office hits, including the dramas Jigar (1992) and Anari (1993), the comedies Raja Babu (1994), Coolie No. 1 (1995) and Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), and the thriller Jeet (1996). However, she was criticised for her brief, repetitivein roles and inclination to male-dominated films. The 1996 blockbuster romance Raja Hindustani marked a significant turning point in Kapoor's career, earning her praise and a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She later won the National Film Award and Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of a dancer in Yash Chopra's blockbuster musical romance Dil To Pagal Hai (1997). Kapoor achieved further success by featuring as the female lead in three of David Dhawan's top grossing romantic comedies—Hero No.1 (1997), Biwi No.1 (1999) and Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge (2000), and Sooraj Barjatya's highly successful family drama Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999)—and won the Best Actress and Best Actress Critics awards at Filmfare for her titular roles in the highly acclaimed dramas Fiza (2000) and Zubeidaa (2001), respectively. She also received widespread praise for her performance in the 2002 revenge drama Shakti: The Power. Kapoor took a leave from full-time acting in 2004, and made her comeback with the 2012 supernatural thriller Dangerous Ishqq, after which she again took a leave.