Happy Birthday, Kareena Kapoor Khan: Bollywood's Favourite Heroine@37

Life

Kareena Kapoor Khan welcomed her birthday today with lovely wishes from good friends Karan Johar and Amrita Arora. The actress is all set to blow out 37 candles on her birthday cake today. So far, the past one year has been a very eventful one for the actress, who welcomed her first child with Saif Ali Khan - Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi - in December. Post pregnancy, having worked hard to get back in shape, Kareena has already featured on a magazine cover this year and made her debut on the sets of her next film Veere Di Wedding. As she celebrates her birthday today, here's a look at her life in pictures so far.

This image was posted on Instagram by filmfare

Kareena, nicknamed Bebo, is the granddaughter of legendary actor-director Raj Kapoor. She is the youngest daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita and sister of actress Karisma. The Kapoor family also includes several other actors - her great-grandfather Prithviraj, grand-uncles Shammi and Shashi, uncles Rishi and Rajiv, aunt-by-marriage Neetu, and cousins Ranbir and Armaan Jain.

This image was posted on Instagram by therealkareenakapoor

As children, both Kareena and Karisma dreamt of becoming actresses. However, the Kapoor women traditionally did not act.

Mother Babita and aunt Neetu had both quit their acting careers after getting married. But Babita supported her daughters' cinematic dreams, leading to conflict between her and Randhir Kapoor. In the end, she won a victory in the male bastion of Bollywood's first family. Karisma became the first Kapoor actress, followed by sister Kareena.

This image was posted on Instagram by therealkarismakapoor

Kareena attended Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai and Welham Girls Boarding School in Dehradun. She studied commerce for two years at Mithibai College in Mumbai. However, she disliked it there and studied only because she was close to her family. Kareena then registered for a three-month summer course in micro-computers at Harvard University in the United States. She later developed an interest in law and enrolled in the Government Law College in Churchgate. However, after completing one year at Churchgate, Kareena returned to her initial plan of becoming an actress.

Kareena made her debut opposite Abhishek Bachchan in J P Dutta's Refugee in 2000. Though the film wasn't a huge commercial success, it earned her the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and she was hailed by critics as an emerging star.

Next came Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai (2001) opposite Tusshar Kapoor. The film became one of the highest earners of the year. Kareena was lauded for her performance. The same year brought with it Santosh Sivan's epic Asoka, opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Her performance received mixed reactions from critics but Kareena received her first nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards.

The crowning moment of 2001 for her was the release of Karan Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham which was a huge commercial success. Kareena's performance as "Poo" was well-received by critics and fetched her Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination.

Then came a few lean years. Kareena featured in six films in next two years - Mujhse Dosti Karoge! , Jeena Sirf Merre Liye, Talaash: The Hunt Begins, Khushi, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, and LOC Kargil - all of which were commercial failures.

But come 2004, she silenced her critics by playing a prostitute in Sudhir Mishra's Chameli. Kareena's performance was well-received and she won the Filmfare Special Performance Award that year.

Kareena has also made some memorable special song appearances. Her version of Yeh Mera Dil from Don (2006) and Fevicol Se (2012) in Dabangg 2 are considered legendary among Bollywood item numbers. In 2015 she featured in Brothers' song Mera Naam Mary Hai.

Kareena and Saif Ali Khan started dating in 2007 and became the royal couple of Bollywood. They are popularly referred to as 'Saifeena.' Kareena and Saif married in Mumbai on October 16, 2012. Saif and Kareena welcomed their first son - baby Taimur - in December last year.

Kareena Kapoor is currently busy shooting for Shashanka Ghosh's shaadi drama Veere Di Wedding, co-starring Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania. Mostly shot in Delhi, Veere Di Wedding releases next year.