As Kareena Kapoor Khan completes two decades in the Hindi film industry on Tuesday, the Bollywood star says she is overwhelmed by the love and support she has received since her debut “Refugee”.
Directed by JP Dutta, the romance drama, which released on June 30, 2000, marked the debut of Kareena and Abhishek Bachchan.
“Refugee” was Dutta’s follow-up to the 1997 blockbuster “Border” and was moderately successful at the box office.
Kareena took to Instagram and shared a picture of the first shot from the film.
“My first shot was at 4 am… I woke up this morning at 4, looked in the mirror, and said to myself that this was the best decision I could have ever taken. 20 years of hard work, dedication, and self-confidence,” the actor captioned the picture.
The “Good Newwz” star said she was extremely grateful to her fans for their “love, support and strength” over the years.
“Thank you JP Dutta for my life in the movies. Abhishek Bachchan for being the sweetest co-star and every single person involved in this film. Want to go back in time. #20YearsAndNotGivingUp,” the 39-year-old actor added.
The film featured Abhishek as an Indian agent who helps refugees cross the border and falls in love with a woman (Kareena), who is on her way to Pakistan with her family.
Kareena later went on to star in major hits including “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham”, “Aitraaz”, “Omkara” and an acclaimed turn in “Chameli”.
She witnessed a career turnaround with Imtiaz Ali’s “Jab We Met” in 2007, and has since starred in films such as “Talaash: The Answer Lies Within”, “3 Idiots”, “Udta Punjab“, “Bajrangi Bhaijaan“, among others.
She will be next seen in Aamir Khan starrer “Laal Singh Chaddha”, the Hindi remake of the 1994 Hollywood classic “Forrest Gump”, headlined by Tom Hanks.