Our Chief Editor, Kamiya Jani met the 90’s heartthrob and talented actress Karisma Kapoor for a lovely Sunday Brunch. The National Award Winning actress having iconic films like Raja Hindustani, Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Zubeidaa, Biwi No.1 and many more to her credit, chatted about her love for food, travel, her career in films and even revealed her parenting experiences. So read below to find out more about this amazing episode of Sunday Brunch.
Kamiya Jani (KJ): Hello Karisma, now you’ve been brought up in a Punjabi Kapoor family, who’ve been known for their love for food, so are you also a foodie?
Karisma Kapoor (KK): Yes absolutely! I love my food, no compromise on food.
KJ: Any favourite food that you have?
KK: Well, basically I love Indian food, any kind of Indian food. I love my biriyani and I love Kali Dal, Palak Paneer, simple things too. And then I am also quite a non-veg eater. We have grown up in a home where food has always been a big thing. Watching my Dadi, my Nani, so it has been a home where there has been alot of Punjabi and Sindhi food.
KJ: In fact talking about your Nani, do you have any favourites from her house as well, since your mom is a Sindhi?
KK: She was British Sindhi, so we would eat dishes like Roast Chicken and at the same time also eat Sindhi Kadi and Tuk. My pet name is also derived from Meethi Loly, so Lolo from that. And since I’m also from a Punjabi household, we’ve had alot of Punjabi food.
KJ: So it clearly looks like you’ve alot from your childhood, what about your kids, do they also enjoy food as much as you do?
KK: They enjoy food in a very different way. I think its the new generation of children, they have grown up much more aware. Just like any other parent, I tell them not to eat too much junk food, fried food. But especially in our home, we encourage less oil, we eat alot of ghee. They eat regular home-cooked food. But now my daughter likes salads and sushi. So I feel the kids today have taste buds that are becoming quite global.
KJ: You are doing this show called Mentalhood, which is about motherhood. And one of the biggest concerns mothers have is that their kids don’t eat. Have you had such issues?
KK: Oh yes, ofcourse! But because of drilling it since a young age, that you have to eat lunch properly and you have to eat dinner properly, so at least my kids like eating home food. So that’s a good thing like my daughter doesn’t like to eat out much. So maybe I eat out more than she does. So that’s quite uncommon with my kids.
KJ: Do you have a food partner with whom you’d like to go food binging?
KK: Yes, I have a few friends, my crew we love to eat whenever we travel out for work. Whichever place we go to, we always like to try out food from there. Like suppose I’m in Kolkata, we definitely eat Macher Jhol and we eat all the Bengali delicacies. If we’re in South India, we food from there or if we are in Rajasthan we would definitely eat Lal Maas. I am a big foodie. Even though people think I’m not, but I really love to eat.
KJ: Do you have any favourite hangout points here?
KK: Firstly my favourite hangout point would be my sister’s home because she loves to eat home food. So we tend to eat alot whether its lunch or dinner at her home.
KJ: Talking about your sister as well, alot of parenting is about handling siblings, so how was your equation with Kareena growing up?
KK: We never fought actually. We have touchwood been very close. Well apart from our sisterly bond, we have bonded over clothes, food, travel.
KJ: Let’s talk about a mother’s guilt. I am pursuing my passion, I’m also a working mom so there’s a mother’s guilt that I am always feeling. So do you also feel that?
KK: You know actually of course. You know I’m here now doing this interview and I’m thinking I told my kids I would be home by 6. So you know, you have that guilt. And actually our show is about things like this. It’s about simple things like this, and this is the reason why I even did Mentalhood. I wanted mothers and women out there to know that they are not alone. I go through the same things that you go through. And we are all in it together.
KJ: Is there a way that you manage? You are an accomplished actor, you have grown up kids, you also have your girlfriends. So how do you tell yourself its okay to relax and have fun at times?
KK: You know, for me, MOM is Master of Multitasking. So I guess we just have to know what our priorities are and try and balance it all and make time for everything.
KJ: How many films have you done to date?
KK: I think around 88 but I don’t remember half the dialogues from those.
KJ: Let’s talk about travel, we saw some of your pictures at Taj Mahal. What did you think of it?
KK: I think it was a beautiful extraordinary experience. Just to see that this is in our country and it was built for love, is just amazing.
KJ: Do you think it’s overhyped or do you think it’s worth the hype?
KK: It’s stunning. It’s totally worth the hype.
KJ: What’s your favourite destination in India?
KK: Rajasthan.
KJ: Do you travel with your kids? And do you think it’s important to travel with your kids?
KK: Well, it’s very important to travel with kids. I love Rajasthan and I have loved it ever since I started working in movies. The first time I went, I was just amazed by the place and all the cities there. I have done so much work in Rajasthan, whether its Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer. Alot of the very important films of my career has been shot in these places.
KJ: When it comes to international travel, do you have any favourites there?
KK: Well, we love London. And our family goes there alot. I guess we have grown up going there. So I like that. I also love Europe.
KJ: Your kids have grown up now and I’m sure you have learnt alot from them, but when you post something on social media, do they tell you what to do and what not to do?
KK: Oh Yeah! Even like in technology, I’m not very savvy, so I keep asking them and even asking my crew for help. I ask my daughter about the latest filters, and latest tone, so I like to keep myself updated like that.
KJ: Are you their favourite actress?
KK: I don’t think so, I think its Bebo, Kareena Kapoor Khan.
KJ: Do they often watch your films?
KK: they don’t really watch my movies. I don’t force it on them. They have watched a few, and I like it that way.