Kareena Kapoor made her Bollywood debut with Refugee, released on June 30, 2000, and since then there has been no turning back for the star. Over the past quarter of a century, she has performed a wide variety of roles, from mainstream performers to quirky character-driven pieces, and she has worked across genres to accommodate shifting tastes. She belongs to the prominent Kapoor family of Hindi cinema, being the granddaughter of actor Raj Kapoor and the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita.
Kareena on being a ‘nepo baby’
But the actor has rejected the ‘nepo baby’ tag on her during her appearance on the latest episode of Koffee With Karan with husband Saif Ali Khan. After Saif won a fun segment on the chat show, he quipped that it proves that Karan Johar’s show is not nepotistic and biased. Kareena looked surprised and asked why would he say that. In response, Karan elaborated and pointed at her as the nepo baby.
To this, Kareena had a hilarious response. She said, “I am the poster girl for being the purest talent of nepotism. The purest, organic talent! Maine kabhi apne maa baap ka naam nahi liya hai (I have never taken the names of my parents)!” Karan said ‘waah!’ at this comment and joined Saif as they mockingly clapped at this statement.
Kareena’s take on nepotism
The actor had previously shared her take on nepotism. In 2020, speaking with Barkha Dutt, she had said, “21 years of working would not have happened with just nepotism. It is not possible. I can take a long list out of superstars’ children for whom it’s not been able to happen that way.”
Kareena said that she does not look at her journey as having got opportunities just because of her lineage. “It might sound weird but my struggle is there. There is a struggle but it probably is not as interesting as somebody who comes in a train with just ₹10 in his pocket. Yeah, it’s not been that and I can’t be apologetic about it,” she said.
Kareena said that those coming from film families work just as hard as outsiders. “The idea is that today so many of our biggest stars whom you (the audience) have chosen, whether it is Akshay Kumar or Shah Rukh Khan or Ayushmann Khurrana or Rajkummar Rao, are all outsiders. They are successful actors because they have worked hard. Whether it is Alia Bhatt or Kareena Kapoor, we have also worked hard. You are enjoying our films and watching them. So, it’s the audience that makes or breaks us,” she added.
Kareena was last seen in Daayra, directed by Meghna Gulzar. The film underperformed at the box office.