Come Valentine’s Day, people go all out pledging their love, wearing their hearts on their sleeves. A Western concept which is now here to stay, we believe love comes in different forms. Loving your family is one of them, perhaps the most important one. When we mention it to Karisma Kapoor during her visit to Pune, she agrees almost immediately. “Of course, my Valentine’s is all about celebrating my two kids,” she says.
Taking a break while being at the peak of her career must not have been an easy one. “Yes. But it was a conscious decision on my part, you know. I wanted to spend time at home. Growing years are very important for children. And I wanted voluntarily to be at home, to spend time with them and that’s what I did. I think I have always believed in myself and my thoughts,” she explains.
But she has been absent from the scene since a long time. For someone who’s popular and who is also known for her fashion sense, we wonder what keeps her away. “I do work a lot. I do lot of brand endorsements, and other stuff. So, I keep myself busy. I feel it’s all about the balance, with respect to what I choose to do,” she says.
But then why not films, we prod her further. “I think that’s a huge commitment. It takes so many days, but you never know, I may just decide to do one. I haven’t thought about it as such,” she laughs away.
Movies have changed over the years and everything from scripts and songs to costumes and roles has evolved. Isn’t this the perfect time to return to the big screen? She agrees. “Oh yes, I think the industry has really grown a lot since then. We were so young, we used to just follow instructions. Then later, you know, we reached a stage in our career where we could choose roles… decide what to do… what to wear, what not to wear… discuss and have maybe a slight say in the matter. I have literally grown up in the industry. So yeah, everybody tells me to come back and I think that’s the biggest compliment today that people still want to see me again on the screen. That’s really special to me,” she admits with a smile.
Speaking of ‘comeback’, Karisma is not too happy with the phrase or the whole pressure associated with comebacks. Her sister Kareena has been consistently around and active, we point out and Karisma is quick to point out, “Yeah, but she also took a break. The term ‘comeback’ was even used for her. So, I think it’s for every actress. They take a little bit of a break, have a baby and then come back and they’re like — wapas aa gayi. But, where did she go? She didn’t go anywhere. She was just having a baby.”
The mention of Kareena obviously reminds us of her little munchkin Taimur Ali Khan who has become an internet sensation. More so because of the hyperactive social media. We ask how she feels about it, especially since things were not so overwhelming when her kids were growing up.
“I think he’s really young and innocent, and he doesn’t realise what is happening. It’s really normal for him to meet these uncles every day who click his pictures. So I think it’s very endearing. But, I think for him to be in the public eye is a bit unsettling for my sister and Saif and the rest of the family too. But we have to take it in our stride because we are part of the industry, and we are in the public eye. What can we do?” she concludes.
