The importance of being Karisma Kapoor

Let’s all wish beautiful, vivacious and super talented Karisma Kapoor a very happy birthday. Yes, today (25 June 2012) is the birthday of one of the most fascinating actors of all time. And today, she has many reasons to celebrate. First of all, Karisma has her children. And every time she looks at their faces she feels he has attained a worthiness that other circumstances in her life would perhaps render null and void. A broken marriage amidst a volley of “I-told-you-so” from close friends and relatives isn’t quite what you want in your life when you’re nursing a broken heart. Karisma dreamt of a marriage and domesticated life for keeps. Little did she realize she would be back with her mother and sister in Mumbai in no time at all…with only productive product—the babies—to show for her tempestuous tryst with domesticity? The dream house that she planned to construct with her husband on the outskirts of Delhi is now a hazy memory. His conduct drove her up the wall of their dream house. She gave up her career at what she thought was the right time. Right after her marriage Karisma had glowed gloriously. “This was the right time for me to marry. I feel I was lucky with my career. I did many heroine-oriented films and many commercial successes. Marriage came at the right time. I’m extremely happy and at peace with myself,” are the words of Karisma. One more broken marriage, one headline from Bollywood. Kya farq padta hai? This is how it would seem to the media-mongering multitudes. But the situation isn’t that simple for the people involved in this terrible imbroglio. It’s a household of four women out there, battling male cynicism. “That family drives the men away,” an actress said cruelly. Or do the men get intimidated by the formidable personality of the Kapoor women? Karisma’s story is more exciting than any film she has ever done. What Karisma needs to do is to re-invent and write out a whole new idiom of pop-stardom for herself. God knows, she has the wispy wherewithal to give the teenyboppers a run for their money. Unfortunately not too many directors would be willing to frame projects especially for Karisma. So where does Karisma go from here? Will the audience accept Karisma Kapoor as anything but a teenybopper icon? Starting at 17 she has constantly played the pubescent pinup idol even in her best films like Yash Chopra’s Dil To Pagal Hai and Dharmesh Darshan’s Raja Hindustani. Past 30, can Karisma re-invent herself as a woman of substance when she has formidable company like Madhuri Dixit and Tabu in her age-group? Karisma did play a woman of substance in the TV series, Karishma: The Miracle Of Destiny and recently in Vikram Bhatt’s Dangerous Ishq. It didn’t really create the ripple effect, as it was expected to. But all in all, Karisma is a wonderful mother, daughter and sister. We wish her a very happy birthday!!!