Kareena Kapoor made her screen debut in the 2000 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film ‘Refugee’ directed by J. P. Dutta. The film was a moderate commercial success and grossed over ₹35.44 crores on a budget of ₹15 crores. Kapoor also received the ‘Filmfare Award’ for her portrayal of ‘Nazneen "Naaz" Ahmed’ in the film. In 2001, she starred as ‘Kaurwaki’ in the Santosh Sivan-directed Indian Hindi-language epic historical drama film ‘AÅ›oka.’ The film saw wide critical acclaim upon release and earned a 100% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. The same year, she also played the role of ‘Pooja Sharma’ in the Indian Hindi-language family-drama film ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…’ directed by Karan Johar. The film, despite opening to a mixed critical reception, was a major box office success and managed to gross over ₹135.53 crores on a ₹40 crores budget. She continued to star in films like ‘Mujhse Dosti Karoge!’ (2002), ‘Jeena Sirf Merre Liye’ (2002), ‘Talaash: The Hunt Begins…’ (2003), ‘Khushi’ (2003), ‘Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon’ (2003), and ‘LOC Kargil’ (2003).Â
Kapoor became a recipient of the ‘Filmfare Special Performance Award’ for her portrayal of ‘Chameli’ in the 2004 Indian Hindi-language film ‘Chameli’ directed by Anant Balani and Sudhir Mishra. The film has a 6.8 out of 10 rating on IMDb. That same year, she also played the role of ‘Meera’ in the Mani Ratnam-directed Indian Hindi-language political thriller film ‘Yuva.’ The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics and underperformed at the box office. She next starred in films like ‘Hulchul’ (2004), ‘Bewafaa’ (2005), ‘Kyon Ki’ (2005), ‘36 China Town’ (2006), and ‘Chup Chup Ke’ (2006). In 2006, she portrayed ‘Dolly Mishra’ in the Indian crime drama film ‘Omkara’ directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. The film received massive acclaim upon release and won 9 ‘Filmfare Awards,’ including Best Actress (Critics) for Kapoor. She went on to star in films such as ‘Jab We Met’ (2007), ‘Tashan’ (2008), ‘Roadside Romeo’ (2008), ‘Golmaal Returns’ (2008), ‘Main Aurr Mrs Khanna’ (2009), and ‘Kurbaan’ (2009). In 2009, she starred as ‘Pia Sahastrabuddhe’ in the Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age comedy-drama film ‘3 Idiots’ directed by Rajkumar Hirani. The film received critical acclaim upon release and was a massive box office success, grossing over ₹400.61 crores on a budget of ₹55 crores.Â
She continued to star in films like ‘We Are Family’ (2010), ‘Golmaal 3’ (2010), ‘Bodyguard’ (2011), ‘Ra.One’ (2011), ‘Agent Vinod’ (2012), ‘Heroine’ (2012), ‘Satyagraha’ (2013), ‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein!’ (2013), ‘Singham Returns’ (2014), and ‘Gabbar Is Back’ (2015). Kapoor starred as ‘Rasika Pandey’ in the 2015 Indian Hindi-language drama film ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ directed by Kabir Khan. The film opened to critical acclaim and was a phenomenal commercial success, grossing over ₹969 crores on a ₹90 crores budget. She was next seen in films such as ‘Ki & Ka’ (2016), ‘Udta Punjab’ (2016), ‘Veere Di Wedding’ (2018), ‘Good Newwz’ (2019), and ‘Angrezi Medium’ (2020). Kapoor was last seen in the 2022 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ directed by Advait Chandan. The film was a remake of the 1994 American comedy-drama film ‘Forrest Gump’ and received a mixed response from critics upon release.