‘Own lane, own race’: Karisma Kapoor on choosing ‘Brown’, playing a broken detective and starting 'very young' in Bollywood

Dubai: Karisma Kapoor has played glamorous heroines, royalty, romantics and some of Bollywood's most memorable leading ladies. But ask her about her latest role and she'll happily describe herself as "an alcoholic, a pill popper and a chain smoker."

No, the Bollywood star hasn't suddenly embraced a wild new lifestyle. She's talking about Rita Brown, the deeply damaged detective she plays in Brown, the Hindi-language crime thriller now streaming on Zee5 Global. It's arguably the darkest, messiest and most emotionally bruised character of her three-decade career.

"She's an alcoholic, she's a pill popper, she's a chain smoker. She's just trying to cope in life, and she's brought back in reluctance to come and take over this case. It's about the journey of Rita Brown, not only of solving this case, but of a human story of a woman coming out of what she's going through," Kapoor tells Gulf News over a zoom call. It's barely sunrise where I am in Boston, while Kapoor is midway through a hectic publicity blitz in India, yet she's warm, candid and surprisingly reflective as she unpacks the most emotionally bruised character of her career.

"And I think that is the beauty of Brown, where you see a very broken, raw woman, but she comes out of it, and that is how she becomes stronger."

The irony couldn't be greater. While her on-screen alter ego spirals through emotional collapse, Kapoor herself has become one of Bollywood's most fly-under-the-radar stars, an actress who seems perfectly content staying away from the spotlight.

In an industry where actors announce multiple projects and brand collaborations before breakfast in a day just to stay visible, Kapoor is doing something almost radical: saying no until something genuinely excites her.

"I don't do much work, as everyone knows," she says with a laugh.

"And I think now my fans understand and appreciate that... When they had come to me, I was shooting for an ad at Mehboob Studios and they told me this amazing role but we'd go to Calcutta for 50-60 days. I was like, 'Okay, bye-bye. I don't think I'm going to do this.'"

But the makers of Brown weren't convinced.

"To their credit, they did not give up. I met director Abhinay [Deo], I met the creative team and once I heard the script and I heard about Rita Brown, I was like, 'This is something I must do.' I think I've never done something like this, and I've been lucky enough to have had some amazing roles and characters, got to work with some of the greatest directors of our country, but this was something totally different."

Not your typical detective

Kapoor is quick to point out that Rita Brown isn't the conventional badge-wearing supercop audiences may expect.

"I wear the police uniform only once on the show," she says with a smile. "She is a detective. A police force detective in plain clothes."

By the time viewers meet Rita, however, she's barely holding herself together.

"She is such a cop that she has given up the profession. She is not there anymore, and she is going through her own... She is literally a broken woman who has no interest in working, no interest in literally eating food or getting up from the bed."

Far from glamorising addiction, Kapoor says Rita's alcoholism, dependence on pills and constant smoking are survival mechanisms for a woman drowning in grief and trauma.

" The beauty of Brown is that you see a very broken, raw woman, but she comes out of it, and that is how she becomes stronger."

Strip away the murder mystery and detective work, Kapoor believes Brown is ultimately about something much more relatable.

"It's a human story. You're just being a human being. It's more to just show your true raw emotions."

Leaving Rita Brown on set

Playing such a damaged character could easily seep into an actor's personal life. Kapoor admits earlier films did exactly that.

"There was a method to the madness because Abhinay was so clear. She's so nuanced... she's constantly sipping on coffee... there's a coping mechanism... there's a lot going on there."

"I think earlier, when I did films like Shakti and Zubeidaa and Fiza, it got to me. Emotionally they were very heavy movies. But I think now, during Brown, I learned to channelise myself and then not take it home."

It's a lesson that has clearly come with experience.

Fame isn't addictive

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Kapoor has never seemed particularly interested in chasing constant visibility.

"I think that's just the person I believe in staying in my own lane, own race," she says. " I started when I was very young. I've been lucky and fortunate enough to have had a great career, worked with amazing makers, done my best, and then there are other things to be done."

For Kapoor, acting isn't a job that requires punching in and punching out.

"I work from my heart and not my head. For me, acting is not a profession that I have to go... it's not a nine-to-five job. I want to feel it. So if I feel like I really want to go on a set, I'll do it. If not, I'm happy not being in the spotlight. In fact, very happy."

When it's pointed out that very few actresses enjoy the luxury of being so selective, Kapoor who belongs to a film dynasty credited with impressive acting lineage gently pushes back.

"I worked very hard to reach that position. It was very hard over multiple years, films, shifts, hits, flops, blockbusters, whatever. I think a lot of sweat and tears have gone where, of course, today I can say, 'Okay, I want to do it or I don't want to do it.'"

She credits both her audience and loyal fans for giving her that freedom.

"I'm thankful to the audience. Thank you all to all my loyal fans also for sticking by me and believing in me and understanding the person that I am."

For Kapoor, fame itself has never been the reward.

"That's why I'm happy being out of the spotlight. Genuinely."

A dark show with heart

Despite Rita Brown's demons, Kapoor insists audiences shouldn't mistake Brown for an emotionally exhausting watch.

"If you see her relationship with her mother, with her aunt, it will put a smile on your face. You will be like, 'Oh my God, this is what my mother tells me all the time. Please eat something. You're not taking care of yourself.' So you will be like, 'Oh my God, am I doing this to my child or this is my mom and me?' It's very sweet."

She hopes viewers leave with a full range of emotions.

"I think Brown will make you think. It will maybe make you cry, maybe put a smile on your face. You will have a little bit of a giggle as well. I think that's the whole thing. It's a human story."

As for reviews, Kapoor says she's already made peace with whatever comes next.

"I tried my best, guys. I hope you all like it really. I sincerely tried to do something different for my audience, for everyone. I sincerely hope you all like it."

Can AI replace actors?

Artificial intelligence may be reshaping creative industries, but Kapoor remains convinced that human artistry will always have the final word.

"There's so much growth, which is amazing, but I think what an artist can do—whether that is an actor or a painter or a dancer—I think that we can't take away, because that's really human and very organic."

So, should fans expect to see Karisma Kapoor back on screen again soon?

Even she doesn't pretend to know.

"I really want to give you an honest answer, and tell you, I don't know. Maybe you'll be seeing and interviewing me really soon, in the next few months, or maybe not for a few years. I genuinely don't know, and it's an honest answer."

Pressed further on whether Brown was simply the rare exception that broke through her famously high standards, Kapoor laughs.

"Literally, yes," she says before adding, "Let's see... I haven't decided. It is a genuine, honest answer. I don't know. I'll decide."