Karisma Kapoor on 90s Bollywood: No scripts, hardly any rehearsals
Karisma Kapoor looked back on 1990s Hindi cinema and said many films were made without detailed scripts. She said the era stood out for its spontaneity, camaraderie and enduring superhits.
Actor Karisma Kapoor reflected on the golden era of Hindi cinema and the experiences that shaped her career. She recalled the spontaneity, camaraderie and larger-than-life filmmaking that defined Bollywood in the 1990s. However, Kapoor said she does not believe in dwelling on the past, despite having some of her most memorable years during that period.
In an exclusive chat with India Today, when asked if she misses the 90s and the kind of films she was associated with during that period, Karisma said, "No, I loved that era of the 90s, but I can't say that I miss it because we all have to move with the times. You know what I mean? Like, I can't be stuck there."
The actor described the decade as a special chapter in her life and career, adding that the filmmaking process was vastly different from what audiences see today.
"We love those moments; they're cherished moments, and that was a special era. The kind of cinema that was being made then was so different. We'd go on set and shoot so many comedy scenes, and the kind of dance numbers we did back then don't even happen today. There were hardly any rehearsals. We'd just arrive on set and be told, ‘yeh scene pak raha hain’, David ji (Dhawan) would say scene pak raha hain, aa jayega,’ she said.
The actor remembered working alongside some of Hindi cinema's most celebrated comic performers and character actors, admitting that sharing screen space with them was both exciting and intimidating.
"And I'd be like, oh God, I have to perform with Paresh (Rawal) ji and Cheechi Bhaiya (Govinda) and everyone and Kadhar (Khan) bhai and all. Like, we would all be in a scene together, Shakti ji," she said.
According to Kapoor, one of the defining aspects of the 90s film industry was the sense of community among actors, many of whom frequently worked together across multiple projects and locations.
"We had this great camaraderie because we would be going from set to set with the same actors doing different films with different makers. From one set in Bombay to Hyderabad to Chennai to the Swiss Alps. So, it was a very different era," she said.
During the conversation, Kapoor admitted that films were often made without the kind of detailed scripts that have become standard practice today.
"And actually, we knew no script. There was a thought, there was a passion, and there was a determination, and there were these actors and a great director doing it. And then there were super hits," she said.
Summing up her feelings about the decade, the actor said, "So, it was a very different era, and definitely I miss it in that sense, but not otherwise."
When asked when we can see her working with Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar again, she said, "Someone should offer me a script with them, then I may consider."
Karisma Kapoor was recently seen in the series Brown.
Actor Karisma Kapoor reflected on the golden era of Hindi cinema and the experiences that shaped her career. She recalled the spontaneity, camaraderie and larger-than-life filmmaking that defined Bollywood in the 1990s. However, Kapoor said she does not believe in dwelling on the past, despite having some of her most memorable years during that period.
In an exclusive chat with India Today, when asked if she misses the 90s and the kind of films she was associated with during that period, Karisma said, "No, I loved that era of the 90s, but I can't say that I miss it because we all have to move with the times. You know what I mean? Like, I can't be stuck there."
The actor described the decade as a special chapter in her life and career, adding that the filmmaking process was vastly different from what audiences see today.
"We love those moments; they're cherished moments, and that was a special era. The kind of cinema that was being made then was so different. We'd go on set and shoot so many comedy scenes, and the kind of dance numbers we did back then don't even happen today. There were hardly any rehearsals. We'd just arrive on set and be told, ‘yeh scene pak raha hain’, David ji (Dhawan) would say scene pak raha hain, aa jayega,’ she said.
The actor remembered working alongside some of Hindi cinema's most celebrated comic performers and character actors, admitting that sharing screen space with them was both exciting and intimidating.
"And I'd be like, oh God, I have to perform with Paresh (Rawal) ji and Cheechi Bhaiya (Govinda) and everyone and Kadhar (Khan) bhai and all. Like, we would all be in a scene together, Shakti ji," she said.
According to Kapoor, one of the defining aspects of the 90s film industry was the sense of community among actors, many of whom frequently worked together across multiple projects and locations.
"We had this great camaraderie because we would be going from set to set with the same actors doing different films with different makers. From one set in Bombay to Hyderabad to Chennai to the Swiss Alps. So, it was a very different era," she said.
During the conversation, Kapoor admitted that films were often made without the kind of detailed scripts that have become standard practice today.
"And actually, we knew no script. There was a thought, there was a passion, and there was a determination, and there were these actors and a great director doing it. And then there were super hits," she said.
Summing up her feelings about the decade, the actor said, "So, it was a very different era, and definitely I miss it in that sense, but not otherwise."
When asked when we can see her working with Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar again, she said, "Someone should offer me a script with them, then I may consider."
Karisma Kapoor was recently seen in the series Brown.
