Kareena Kapoor marks 25 years in Bollywood with emotional tribute to 'Refugee': 'Forever to go...'

On Monday, Kareena Kapoor Khan celebrated a major milestone—25 years in the Hindi film industry—by sharing a heartfelt tribute on social media. Reflecting on her cinematic journey, the actress posted a series of throwback photos from her debut film Refugee on Instagram, writing, “25 years and forever to go…”

The post featured solo stills of a young Kareena as well as moments with her co-star Abhishek Bachchan, marking the beginning of both their acting careers. She also tagged the film’s director J. P. Dutta and co-stars Jackie Shroff, Sunil Shetty, and Anupam Kher in her post.

Released in 2000, Refugee was a romantic drama that introduced Kareena and Abhishek to Bollywood audiences. Directed and written by J. P. Dutta, the film was the fifth highest-grossing movie of the year. It followed the story of a nameless Indian Muslim man who helps illegal refugees cross the border between India, Pakistan, and what is now Bangladesh, navigating the harsh terrain of the Great Rann of Kutch. The film is believed to have been inspired by Keki N. Daruwalla’s short story Love Across the Salt Desert.

Kapoor's post was met with an outpouring of love from fans, many of whom reminisced about her iconic debut and the powerful performances that followed.

Speaking about completing 25 years in the showbiz, Abhishek Bachchan reflected on reaching this significant milestone and shared that rather than focusing on the past, he is embracing the future with a fresh sense of purpose and determination. He told IANS that he doesn’t believe in looking back

“I want to look forward. I want to think about the next 25 years—what I’m going to do next. That’s done now.” Taking inspiration from his father, Amitabh Bachchan, who has had a remarkable five-decade-long career, the ‘Housefull 5’ actor noted that living with someone who has completed 55 years in the industry teaches you the importance of always progressing and looking ahead.

Bachchan added, “Take your experience and learnings from the last 25 years and use them to make yourself better.”

When asked if he would like his debut film, “Refugee,” to be re-released in theatres, the Guru actor stated, “I’ll have to ask J.P. Sahab. Maybe. He’s the director and producer, so that decision lies with him. As a director, it’s up to him to decide whether the film still has something meaningful to say to today’s audience. I leave that choice to J.P. Sahab.”