In the glamorous and often unpredictable world of Bollywood, there have been instances where stars had to back out of films, but when someone of a star-kalibre like Karisma Kapoor starts withdrawing from projects at such a rapid rate, it certainly raises eyebrows. In 1999, one of the most ravishing actresses in Bollywood, Karisma Kapoor shocked many people with her departure from several high profile films leaving fans and filmmakers guessing on why she made that abrupt decision.
The first project from which Karisma withdrew was Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega by Sajid Nadiadwala which was already receiving quite some attention. It came as a shock since she had always been among the box office consistencies; her film always a hit which firmly established her position as one of the top heroines in Bollywood. Just when people were settling down after Nadiadwala’s movie drama, news emerged that Karisma backed out again from Deepak Shivdasani’s Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke. Preity Zinta stepped into her shoes as the role had initially been written for Karisma.
What was happening to Karisma Kapoor? Returning signing amounts for these movies – together with reportedly some others – only fueled wilder suppositions about this case. Her actions indicated that something was wrong behind the scenes because normally in this industry signing amounts are binding.
At that time, many theories were circulating within the industry and media. Others could see thought that maybe she was being careful about selecting roles perhaps trying to separate herself from projects whose career aspirations were no longer aligned with her own developing ones. Given that her family has always played an important role in her life and career choices others said this might be personal reasons for instance.
Karisma’s move was particularly intriguing given her consistent track record of balancing commercial success with critically acclaimed performances. This is why both masses and critics appreciated me because they knew I could mix between mainstream and nuanced characters. So, this made many people ask whether it was a phase that would pass or the beginning of some major change in her career.
Throughout the year, both fans and insiders in the industry kept guessing what Karisma’s next act would be. Was she going to take time off or were there some well thought-out moves behind it? While Karisma never revealed anything about her reasons for doing so; her behavior spoke volumes that she was making decisions on which way her career will go henceforth within Bollywood.
This is because whatever was brewing up in Karisma Kapoor’s world, it was bound to bring forth permanent changes in the landscape of Bollywood. Thereby, when she opted to exit from these movies without any warnings wordlessly put a shroud of secrecy around her leaving everyone yearning to see where lie future prospects for this mercurial actress.
