Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, who recently kickstarted the shoot of her upcoming film 'The Crew', has shared that she likes to keep a healthy mix of mainstream and off-beat films in her filmography and that her titular role in 'Chameli' is a testament to that.
'Chameli', which was released almost 2 decades ago, was directed by Sudhir Mishra, and saw Kareena playing the role of a sex worker - a brave choice for an actor in that era. The film received many accolades for its storytelling and Kareena's performance and proved to be a milestone in her career.
Talking about making brave choices, Kareena told IANS: "I have always been a risk-taker and it's because of my passion for acting. That's the reason behind me doing a 'Golmaal' and an off-beat film like 'Omkara', a 'Yuva' or a 'Chameli'."
Kareena, whose streaming chat show 'hat Women Want' on Mirchi Plus has been receiving a lot of audience appreciation, comes from the first film dynasty of India - the Kapoor clan but, being a star was never on her mind, she said. Instead, for her, it has always been about honing her craft as an artiste.
She further mentioned: "It was never on my mind to become a star. I come from a certain background so back then, I thought that being an exceptional actor, it may happen or it might not happen but to try and give my 100 per cent to the part that I essay is not just my duty but also the responsibility that comes with the privilege."
"I was 21 years old when I played Chameli at a time when nobody was doing films like that. Today, I'm 42 and people still talk about that film. It really built up a certain perception in the minds of the audience about my work.
So, I have always had a good mix of commercial mainstream and that of the off-beat cinema and I would like to keep it that way, even now you will see me in 'The Crew' which is more women-centric and commercial and also working in the Indian adaptation of 'The Devotion of Suspect X'", she concluded.