Born on June 25, 1974, Karisma Kapoor is the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita. Right from her childhood, Karisma was keen to work in the film industry as an actress (All photos courtesy/mid-day archives and Karisma Kapoor's official Instagram account)

On June 21, 2022, Karisma Kapoor completed 31 years in the film industry. She was only 17 when she made her Bollywood debut with the movie Prem Qaidi, opposite Harish Kumar

Karisma Kapoor may have been part of the famous Kapoor dynasty of Bollywood, but she had earlier said in an interview that she too had a struggling phase in her career. 'When I first entered the industry, things were made tough for me. I am not saying that I was singled out. I think every star kid has to go through this. Everyone was so unfair to me. Other newcomers were praised for every little achievement, but I was not given an iota of acknowledgement. When it came to me, it was always, 'Okay, she has done well, but what's the big deal about her?' Nobody gave a 17-year-old credit for doing my job reasonably well,' said Kapoor

Karisma Kapoor's nickname is Lolo, which means sweet in Sindhi, her mom Babita Shivdasani Kapoor's mother tongue

Karisma Kapoor and her younger sister Kareena Kapoor Khan are very close to each other. The besties are often spotted together with their gal pals at restaurants and eateries around Mumbai. They even go on holidays together

Karisma Kapoor with her frequent co-star Salman Khan. The actress starred opposite Salman in several films including the 1994 comedy 'Andaz Apna Apna', 1999 hit 'Biwi No 1', 'Hum Saath Saath Hain', 2000's 'Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge' and 'Chal Mere Bhai'

On January 15, 2022, Karisma Kapoor and Salman Khan's Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge completed 22 years of its release

Govinda was Karisma's regular co-star during the early and mid-1990s. The actress went on to star in over a dozen films with the actor, some of which did well including 'Raja Babu' (1994), 'Khuddar' (1994), 'Dulaara' (1994), 'Coolie No 1' (1995), 'Saajan Chale Sasural' (1996), 'Hero No 1' (1997), which proved to be box office gold

On April 24, 2020, Karisma shared this still from the movie Hero No 1. The throwback picture was posted during the lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic, and the actress wrote in the caption, "Dancing around the Eiffel Tower. Hopefully, those carefree days will return again very soon"

Karisma starred opposite Aamir Khan for the first and only time in 1996 hit Raja Hindustani, a film which further solidified her as an A-list Bollywood actress. The film was notable for a long kissing scene between Karisma and Aamir, quite a record in the 90s. It won her accolades as she bagged her first Filmfare Best Actress Award that year

Karisma starred opposite Ajay Devgn in numerous films like 1991's action-romance 'Jigar', 'Sangram' in 1993, 1995's Suhaag, which also starred Akshay Kumar among many others. Both were rumoured to have been in a relationship during this time

Karisma starred opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the 1997 Yash Chopra hit 'Dil To Pagal Hai', a film that helped her bag the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award and the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role

Karisma courted success with Akshay Kumar with the 1999 film 'Jaanwar', which made her the most successful actress of the year

Karisma Kapoor shared this picture with Akshay Kumar on social media and wrote in the caption, "I have no recollection which film, when or where this pic was taken! But it has a great energy @akshaykumar those were the days!"

In 2000, she won her second Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in Khalid Mohammed's 'Fiza' in which she essayed Hrithik Roshan's sister. Her performance in the film was highly acclaimed and several critics noted her for showing great emotional range and depth

Karisma made her foray into television in 2003 with the series Karishma - The Miracles of Destiny. The actress essayed a dual role in the show

In 2019, Karisma Kapoor made her digital debut with the web series Mentalhood. The web series showcases the topsy-turvy ride of mothers in manoeuvering their way through unreasonable expectations and eccentricities while raising their children

Karisma Kapoor dressed as Michael Jackson in a commercial

Karisma Kapoor with late filmmaker Yash Chopra and Shabana Azmi

Karisma Kapoor with Naseeruddin Shah at an Awards night

Karisma Kapoor with frequent onscreen mother Aruna Irani at an event

Karisma Kapoor with the late Shiv Sena supremo Bala Saheb Thackeray

So many hearts! Karisma Kapoor at an event

Karisma Kapoor poses with fans at an event

A rare undated picture of Karisma Kapoor with Tabu at an event

Karisma Kapoor with veteran actress Farida Jalal

Karisma Kapoor with Shweta Bachchan. Interestingly, while Karisma's union with the Bachchan family never sustained, Shweta married Nikhil Nanda, son of Ritu Nanda (Karisma's aunt)

A rare photo of Karisma Kapoor with Anil Ambani

Karisma with TV host Ruby Bhatia

Karisma Kapoor with Saira Banu

Here's wishing a very happy birthday to Karisma Kapoor!