Karisma Kapoor marks 35 years in Bollywood, recalls Prem Qaidi debut: ‘I was straight out of school’

When Karisma Kapoor stepped onto the set of Prem Qaidi in 1991, she was barely out of school. Three and a half decades later, as she marks 35 years in Hindi cinema, the actor talks about the trajectory of her career but on how profoundly the craft of filmmaking has transformed around her.

According to an interview with The Indian Express' Screen, Karisma was only 16 when she made her debut in K Murali Mohana Rao's musical drama Prem Qaidi, which released on June 21, 1991. Looking back, she is struck by how quickly the years have passed.

“My first movie released four days before my 17th birthday. So, I was straight out of school. I went to junior college for a few days, and then I was straight on the set of Prem Qaidi. I do remember the mahurat shot also. Time has flown by really fast,” says Karisma.

For actors of the early 1990s, performing on set came with challenges that today's stars rarely experience. One of the toughest aspects, Karisma recalled, was working under the intense lighting used before technological advances reshaped film production.

“The lighting was very harsh. We used to struggle to barely open our eyes,” adds the actor.

Over the years, Karisma has witnessed Bollywood's shift from film reels to digital cameras and from post-production dubbing to sync-sound recording. She credits these changes with making performances more natural and immersive, pointing to Shyam Benegal's 2001 film Zubeidaa as a turning point in her own understanding of the craft.

“Obviously, it was all very new. And then I realised, and I think all actors would agree, that your real performance comes out when it’s sync-sound because you’re in that moment. No matter how hard we try, we can’t get the same emotion in a dark AC room while dubbing. I think it made it all easier with all the concentration and silence,” says Karisma.

Through the 1990s, Karisma became one of Hindi cinema's most bankable stars, effortlessly moving between broad comedies, family dramas, romances and action films.

Audiences embraced her comic timing in a string of box-office hits, including David Dhawan's Raja Babu, Coolie No. 1, Saajan Chale Sasural, Judwaa, Hero No. 1, Biwi No. 1 and Haseena Maan Jaayegi. At the same time, she delivered memorable performances in films such as Rajkumar Santoshi's cult favourite Andaz Apna Apna, Raj Kanwar's Jeet, Dharmesh Darshan's blockbuster Raja Hindustani, Yash Chopra's Dil To Pagal Hai and Sooraj Barjatya's ensemble family drama Hum Saath-Saath Hain.

At the height of her career, Karisma stepped away from the spotlight following her marriage to Delhi-based businessman Sunjay Kapur in 2003. While her big-screen appearances became infrequent, the actor eventually returned to Mumbai and began charting a new phase of her career.

Her comeback arrived with Vikram Bhatt's Dangerous Ishhq in 2012, but it is in the streaming era that Karisma has reinvented herself for a new generation of viewers. From portraying a modern mother struggling with personal challenges in Mentalhood to appearing in Homi Adajania's murder mystery comedy Murder Mubarak, she has taken on a variety of roles. Most recently, she headlined Abhinay Deo's investigative thriller Brown, underscoring her willingness to explore darker, more layered characters as her career continues to evolve.