Karisma Kapoor: 10 things you didn't know

Karisma Kapoor is the elder daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita. She was born on June 25, 1974. She is the granddaughter of legendary actor Raj Kapoor and great granddaughter of film actor Prithviraj Kapoor. Her mother gave her the name 'Lolo' after the legendary Hollywood actress Gina Lollobrigida. She is the elder sister of Kareena Kapoor Khan. She is also the cousin sister of Bollywood's latest heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor.

One of the first to break the Kapoor stereotype, Karisma not only entered showbiz but also made it big there. Her passion and scintillating looks made her one of the most prominent stars of the 90s. However, very few of us are aware of the price she paid for this. Karisma allegedly dropped out of school soon after she entered sixth standard to pursue acting. Her first film was Prem Qaidi which released when she was just sixteen.

Karisma has appeared in over 50 films till date and most of them have been super hits. Karisma was known for her flawless skin, pink lips and bushy eyebrows when she started her career. But the actress underwent a huge transformation in her looks and appeal over the years. And today she is known as one of the most iconic personalities onscreen. Over the years she has emerged as a trendsetter.

Karisma has won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film Dil To Pagal Hai (1997). She also won Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the film Raja Hindustani (1996) and Fiza (2000). She won Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for the film Zubeidaa. Karisma was also nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the film Shakti: The Power.

In her filmy career of over 50 films, Karisma gave some of the major hits with Ajay Devgn and Govinda. With films like Coolie No 1 and Hero No 1, Karisma and Govinda emerged as one of the most bankable pair of the decade. Her jodi with Salman Khan was also widely appreciated. During the phase where she was reigning as the Queen of Bollywood with back-to-back hits and many high end endorsements, Karisma was also linked with actors Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn. But they never made any official announcement.

Karisma Kapoor was offered the role of Tina in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. She opted out as she didn't want to play side roles then. Karan Johar had developed the character keeping in mind Twinkle Khanna. Twinkle's nick name is Tina, so KJo had kept the character's name also Tina. After Karisma and Twinkle turned it down, the role was offered to Rani Mukerji. The film went onto be a huge hit and Rani also won Filmfare Award for the Best Actress in a supporting role for the movie.

Karisma Kapoor was not the first choice for Raja Hindustani. The movie was meant to be Aishwarya Rai's debut, and Karisma got the role after Aishwarya dropped out. Aishwarya could not work in the film because of her commitments for Miss World. The film became one of the biggest hits of Karisma's career. And she also won awards for her role in the movie.

Karisma was not the first choice for Dil To Pagal Hai either. The bubbly character, Nisha, that she played in the movie was never written keeping her in mind. The role was first offered to Raveena Tandon. After she declined the role, Juhi Chawla, Kajol, Manisha Koirala and Shilpa Shetty were offered to play the part. But all of them turned down the offer. Karisma Kapoor finally took the role and even won the National Award for her performance.

Karisma Kapoor too has turned down many film which came her way, that later went onto become big. She was offered Juhi Chawla's role in Ishq, Manisha Koirala's role in Gupt. She was also offered films like Asoka The Great and Talaash, which were later taken up by her younger sister Kareena Kapoor. Karisma also turned down Bride and Prejudice before the role went to Aishwarya Rai.

Karisma was also romantically involved with her Haan Maine Bhi Pyar Kiya co-star Abhishek Bachchan. They got engaged on the 60th birthday of Abhishek's father, Amitabh Bachchan. But four months later, the couple called it quits. While a series of rumours sparked during this phase, the most prominent reason for their break up was cited as Abhishek's not so successful career and Karisma's mother Babita's interference in their relationship. The very same year, Karisma tied the knot with industrialist Sanjay Kapur. But now Karisma and her husband, Delhi-based industrialist Sunjay Kapur, have decided to part ways.