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Marriages are made in heaven. And our stars determine our fate. Has marriage been lucky for Karisma
is it heavenly or has all hell broken lose? Mrs. Kapur talks to Urvashi Ashar on life post marriage. She insists that nothing
much has changed.
On life after marriage: Just like my surname, life, too, hasnt changed much. Marriage
is a wonderful thing. I am still settling down. A lot of my relatives live in Delhi, so the city is not an  all-new
experience for me. Sanjay, my husband, is still getting used to the idea of my profession the erratic timings et al. Hes so
lost in this filmi world. But we both are learning to adjust. We daily discuss our schedules and try our best
to squeeze time out to be together. Hes not a film buff and has hardly seen three-or-four of my films.
Coming to my
daily lifestyle, everyone asks me if I am the typical Biwi No.1 and whether I cook for my husband. To tell you the truth,
I hardly ever enter the kitchen and cooking is not my cup of tea. The only things I am comfortable preparing is Maggie noodles
and chai . But when it comes to eating, I love food.
On future films: I have Mere Jeevan
Saathi releasing soon. There are two other films that Ive signed on, but I am not permitted to say anything about them as
 of now. The production houses want to make formal announcements. So well have to await that. But marriage hasnt
changed anything on my career chart. There are several offers coming my way. And I am so busy that I havent enough to time
to even read the scripts Im being offered. My tele-serial Karishma Miracles of Destiny takes up a lot of my time.
I
dont mind doing any film as long as the role interests me. Ive been one actress who has taken so many risks - I did Dil To
Pagal Hai, when every other actress declined to do the film. They were scared of playing second fiddle. I challenged the so-called
norms by doing movies such as Raja Hindustani, Zubeidaa and de-glamourised roles like the one I executed in Shakti. I was
always willing to experiment and settled for roles that I was convinced were challenging. Today, post-marriage, the roles
that Ill do will be similar to the ones Ive always done -even if it means dancing around trees. Why not? After all, those
are the ones that made me popular. Ive completed 13 long years in the industry. Im proud of every film Ive done. Ive done
diverse roles and worked with the best people of the industry. Today Im proud of what Ive achieved.
On
her greatest achievement: I remember when I was in school, I used to read the newspaper reviews. And the review of
Mr. India suggested that the film shouldve been titled Ms. India owing to Sridevis brilliant performance. I wondered whether
I would get even one-tenth of the acclaim she got, and if I could deliver a performance on that calibre. My happiest moment
was when people opined that Raja Hindustani shouldve been called Rani Hindustani. I was on top of the world.
On
her tele-serial, Karishma The Miracle of Destiny : The serial didnt take off too well. But the TRP ratings have gone
up now. And no, I wasnt disappointed. The flak made us cater to the masses sensibilities and pep up the project. The serial
has completed more than a hundred episodes. I feel fortunate  to be a prt of this mega-venture. There are so many other serials that unfortunately
close shop half-way if they fail to get good initial TRP ratings. Sahara is planning to re-package the serial. And the popularity
is rising through word-of-mouth publicity.
The small screen is a completely different ball game from the big screen
scenario. Its so much tougher. Hats off to the players here. I wonder how they manage such tight schedules and shoulder such
immense responsibility. For films, when I worked three-four shifts, I used to say, Ive such a hectic schedule and used to
constantly sympathise with myself. But here the shifts never end. Now I know what it means to be busy. We also employ sync-sound
here. So, we have to be that much more focussed and get the shots right. When we shoot for films, if we get a single page
of dialogue, we used to complain. O, such a long dialogue! we used to exclaim. We used to consider that to be a Herculean
task. Here we get piles of dialogue, and we just have to do it. Theres no one wholl listen to our complaints.
But
Karishma has added so much to my portfolio. Through this serial, Ive been given such a great opportunity to play roles spanning
all generations. Be it the young Avni; or the mother to Mayuri Kango; or the grandmother to Jugal Hansraj; or the mother-in-law
to Sheeba. It seemed so odd at first, to call Jugal Hansraj beta. We used to have a good laugh on the sets. But it
wasnt easy. When I play the grandmother, I take four hours just to put on my make up. However hectic, this tele-serial has
been one helluva experience. But like I said, I am game to take on anything thats challenging. And Ive been one of the first
actors to jump onto the small screen. And that, too, at a time when the small screen was not considered anything big.
On her sister, Kareena: I miss home, but then thanks to our professions we
are used to being away, and living off our suitcases. So it hasnt made life too difficult or different. Kareena and I are
 very much like any other sister pair. We talk several times
a day on the phone. We still fight, have our arguments, scold each other, counsel each other. As an actress, Kareena usually
discusses the films shes offered with mom and me. But the ultimate decision is hers alone. I always tell her to with her intuition
and gut feeling. The one advise I always giver her is that if shes even one per cent doubtful about performing a role shes
expected to perform, she shouldnt take it up. But Kareena has proved herself as an actress today. What I have achieved in
thirteen years, she has achieved in three. Shes the gutsiest actress we have in the country. While actresses of her age are
more interested in looking good and doing glam roles, shes busy doing films like Asoka (in which she hardly wore any make
up) and Chameli. Tell me, who would play the role of a prostitute at the age of 22? Hats off to her!
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