Highlights:
Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor Khan may have made Poo one of Bollywood's most unforgettable characters, but the surprising part is that she was not entirely convinced the role would work when she first took it on. In fact, the actor initially worried whether playing the flamboyant fashionista in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) would do anything for her career.
More than two decades later, Poo remains one of Kareena's most recognizable screen personas. The character became so popular that, according to director Karan Johar, the actor continued to be associated with the same personality for several films afterward.
On the latest episode of Koffee with Karan, Johar recalled how he decided Kareena was the right choice for the role. The filmmaker said he first noticed her attitude at a party when she was just 17.
“She was throwing attitude for no reason. She was 17. I looked at her, and I was like, ‘This is it. I want Kareena to be in this movie,'” he said.
Johar also revealed that Poo was an extension of his own personality, describing the character as his “alter ego.” Kareena agreed, explaining that she had closely followed the director's mannerisms while filming.
“I think Poo is my alter ego; Poo is me,” Karan said.
Kareena added, “Karan used to do (enact) everything, and I just copied him in every shot and followed him to a T.”
The process even caught Shah Rukh Khan's attention. Kareena recalled that the actor questioned how much creative freedom Johar was giving her.
“At one point, Shah Rukh tapped me and said, ‘Tu usko karne dega? (Will you let her do it?)'” Kareena said.
Despite the director's enthusiasm, not everyone was convinced that Poo would connect with audiences. Johar said even Shah Rukh initially questioned the character's humor, particularly because such an exaggerated, high-camp personality was unusual in mainstream Bollywood at the time.
“He later told me, ‘Only you and Bebo (Kareena) are finding this funny.’ Way back in 2001, this kind of high-camp, Gen Z girl saying these strange, bizarre lines [wasn’t common].”
Kareena, however, had a moment of complete conviction while shooting the film. After filming the scene in which Poo rates the men, she reportedly approached Johar in tears and declared it the best scene of her career, despite having been in the industry for only a year.
Interestingly, her own family was not immediately sold on the character either. Johar recalled that Kareena's father, Randhir Kapoor, compared her performance to comedian Johnny Lever. Kareena was also concerned about whether the role would benefit her professionally.
Johar said he had to reassure her that audiences would love Poo. His prediction proved right, with the character becoming so closely associated with Kareena that she continued playing variations of the personality in several subsequent films.
“She was Poo for about eight movies after that because it didn’t leave her system,” he said.
The conversation also touched on films Kareena turned down. Johar recalled Saif Ali Khan being disappointed when she rejected Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), while Saif revealed that she had also turned down Race (2008).
Kareena responded that destiny had other plans, pointing out that she and Saif eventually fell in love while working together on Tashan (2008). The couple married in 2012 and have two sons, Taimur and Jeh.
The irony of Poo's journey is hard to miss: a character Kareena once worried might not help her career went on to become one of the defining roles of her filmography.
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