Spielberg’s fan moment? ‘Are you the girl from...?' asks Hollywood giant to Kareena

Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan has shared a cherished memory from her career — an unexpected encounter with legendary Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who recognised her from the hit Indian film 3 Idiots.

Speaking on day two of WAVES 2025 during a panel discussion moderated by filmmaker Karan Johar, Kareena recounted how she once bumped into Spielberg at a restaurant while travelling abroad, not long after the release of the 2009 Rajkumar Hirani-directed film.

“I was actually in a restaurant, travelling somewhere, and Steven Spielberg happened to be at the same place,” she said. “This was many moons ago, around the time 3 Idiots was released. He actually came up to me and asked, ‘Are you the girl in that very famous Indian film about three students?’ I said, ‘Yes, it’s me!’ He said, ‘My God, I loved that movie.’”

Asked about her thoughts on exploring opportunities in Hollywood, Kareena said, “I think it’s just organically not happened. Having said that, films are my passion — they run in my veins. I was born into this family. Times are changing, and you never know. Chasing something has never been a part of my personality, but if it’s meant to happen, maybe a Hindi-English film will come along. After all, even Spielberg is watching our movies!”

WAVES 2025, a global creative economy summit, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. The four-day event, which runs from 1 to 4 May, brings together more than 10,000 delegates, including over 1,000 creators, 300 companies, and 350 startups from more than 90 countries.