By 2004, Kapoor was keen on broadening her range as an actress and thus decided to portray more challenging roles in addition to the archetypical glamorous lead.
Under the direction of Sudhir Mishra, Kapoor played the role of a golden-hearted prostitute in Chameli, a film relating the story of a young prostitute who meets with a widowed investment banker (played by Rahul Bose).
When Kapoor was first offered the part, she passed on it, explaining that she would be uncomfortable in the role.
She relented when Mishra approached her for the second time, and in preparation for the role, visited several of Mumbai's red-light districts at night to study the mannerisms of sex workers and the way they dressed.
With a production budget of ₹20 million (US$280,000), the independent film marked a departure from the high-profile productions Kapoor previously starred in, and she described the part as an attempt to shed her "glossy image" and "satisfy my creativity".
Indiatimes praised her "intuitive brilliance" and stated that she had exceeded all expectations.
Rediff.com, however, found her portrayal unconvincing and excessively stereotypical, describing her as "sounding more like a teenager playacting than a brash, hardened streetwalker" and comparing her mannerisms to a caricature.
Chameli marked a significant turning point in Kapoor's career and she received a special jury recognition at the 49th Filmfare Awards.

Kapoor next co-starred in Mani Ratnam's Yuva, a composite film with an ensemble cast, about three youngsters from different strata of society whose lives intersect by a car accident; she featured as Vivek Oberoi's romantic interest (Meera, a witty young woman).
She has said that despite not having "much of a role", she agreed to the project due to her desire to work with Ratnam.
Film critic Subhash K. Jha from The Times of India concurred that her role was insubstantial, but further stated that Kapoor uses her "character traits to her ... advantage to create a girl who is at once enigmatic and all-there".
She then appeared alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Fardeen Khan in Govind Nihalani's critically acclaimed film Dev, which revolved around the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots in the Indian state of Gujarat.
Kapoor starred as a Muslim victim named Aaliya and sang a song for the film's soundtrack—"Jab Nahin Aaye The".
Nihalani was initially hesitant to cast a mainstream commercial actress but found that Kapoor displayed a level of intelligence and sensitivity beyond her years.
She was keen to work with him, as his films Ardh Satya (1983) and Tamas (1988) gave her a deeper appreciation for cinema, and identified with her character's ability to be "strong [yet] simple and docile".
It earned her a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and nominations for Best Actress at various award ceremonies.
Taran Adarsh described her as "first-rate" and in particular noted her scene with Bachchan's character.

Shortly afterwards, Kapoor was cast for the first time as a villain in Fida, a thriller about an online heist.
Although the film was unsuccessful at the box office, Kapoor received positive reviews for her performance, and some critics noted a distinct progression from her earlier roles.
That same year, she starred in Abbas-Mustan's thriller Aitraaz and Priyadarshan's comedy Hulchul.
Aitraaz follows the story of a man (played by Akshay Kumar) accused of sexual harassment by his female superior (played by Priyanka Chopra).
Kapoor stated that she was offered Chopra's part, but decided to play Kumar's wife, knowing that Indian women would better identify with her character.
The film was a moderate success, and Jitesh Pillai of The Times of India found Kapoor to have a small role, but noted that she "shines through brightly earning her big moment in the courtroom sequence".
Meanwhile, Hulchul became Kapoor's first commercial success in three years.

Kapoor followed her success in Hulchul by starring as the protagonist of the 2005 drama Bewafaa.
The feature received mostly negative reviews, and Nikhat Kazmi of Indiatimes believed that to become a s
By 2004, Kapoor was keen on broadening her range as an actress and thus decided to portray more challenging roles in addition to the archetypical glamorous lead. Under the direction of Sudhir Mishra, Kapoor played the role of a golden-hearted prostitute in Chameli, a film relating the story of a young prostitute who meets with a widowed investment banker (played by Rahul Bose). When Kapoor was first offered the part, she passed on it, explaining that she would be uncomfortable in the role. She relented when Mishra approached her for the second time, and in preparation for the role, visited several of Mumbai's red-light districts at night to study the mannerisms of sex workers and the way they dressed. With a production budget of ₹20 million (US$280,000), the independent film marked a departure from the high-profile productions Kapoor previously starred in, and she described the part as an attempt to shed her "glossy image" and "satisfy my creativity". Indiatimes praised her "intuitive brilliance" and stated that she had exceeded all expectations. Rediff.com, however, found her portrayal unconvincing and excessively stereotypical, describing her as "sounding more like a teenager playacting than a brash, hardened streetwalker" and comparing her mannerisms to a caricature. Chameli marked a significant turning point in Kapoor's career and she received a special jury recognition at the 49th Filmfare Awards.
Kapoor next co-starred in Mani Ratnam's Yuva, a composite film with an ensemble cast, about three youngsters from different strata of society whose lives intersect by a car accident; she featured as Vivek Oberoi's romantic interest (Meera, a witty young woman). She has said that despite not having "much of a role", she agreed to the project due to her desire to work with Ratnam. Film critic Subhash K. Jha from The Times of India concurred that her role was insubstantial, but further stated that Kapoor uses her "character traits to her ... advantage to create a girl who is at once enigmatic and all-there". She then appeared alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Fardeen Khan in Govind Nihalani's critically acclaimed film Dev, which revolved around the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots in the Indian state of Gujarat. Kapoor starred as a Muslim victim named Aaliya and sang a song for the film's soundtrack—"Jab Nahin Aaye The". Nihalani was initially hesitant to cast a mainstream commercial actress but found that Kapoor displayed a level of intelligence and sensitivity beyond her years. She was keen to work with him, as his films Ardh Satya (1983) and Tamas (1988) gave her a deeper appreciation for cinema, and identified with her character's ability to be "strong [yet] simple and docile". It earned her a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and nominations for Best Actress at various award ceremonies. Taran Adarsh described her as "first-rate" and in particular noted her scene with Bachchan's character.
Shortly afterwards, Kapoor was cast for the first time as a villain in Fida, a thriller about an online heist. Although the film was unsuccessful at the box office, Kapoor received positive reviews for her performance, and some critics noted a distinct progression from her earlier roles. That same year, she starred in Abbas-Mustan's thriller Aitraaz and Priyadarshan's comedy Hulchul. Aitraaz follows the story of a man (played by Akshay Kumar) accused of sexual harassment by his female superior (played by Priyanka Chopra). Kapoor stated that she was offered Chopra's part, but decided to play Kumar's wife, knowing that Indian women would better identify with her character. The film was a moderate success, and Jitesh Pillai of The Times of India found Kapoor to have a small role, but noted that she "shines through brightly earning her big moment in the courtroom sequence". Meanwhile, Hulchul became Kapoor's first commercial success in three years.
Kapoor followed her success in Hulchul by starring as the protagonist of the 2005 drama Bewafaa. The feature received mostly negative reviews, and Nikhat Kazmi of Indiatimes believed that to become a s
Kareena Kapoor