Kapoor was paired opposite [[Tusshar Kapoor]] in [[Satish Kaushik]]'s box-office hit ''[[Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai]]'' (2001).<ref name="KK BOI" /> A review in ''[[The Hindu]]'' noted that based on her first two films, she was "definitely the actress to watch out for".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/2001/05/30/stories/09300221.htm |title=Stars and Starlets on the block |access-date=17 May 2009 |author=Kamath, Sudhish |date=30 May 2001 |work=[[The Hindu]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226223107/http://www.thehindu.com/2001/05/30/stories/09300221.htm |archive-date=26 February 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> She next starred in [[Subhash Ghai]]'s flop ''[[Yaadein (2001 film)|Yaadein]]'', followed by [[Abbas–Mustan]]'s moderately successful thriller ''[[Ajnabee (2001 film)|Ajnabee]]''.<ref name="KK BOI" /> Later that year, she appeared in [[Santosh Sivan]]'s period epic ''[[Aśoka (film)|Aśoka]]'', a partly fictionalised account of the life of the Indian emperor [[Ashoka]]. Featured opposite [[Shah Rukh Khan]], Kapoor found herself challenged playing the complex personality of her character [[Kaurwaki]] with whom Ashoka falls in love.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020602/spectrum/tv.htm |title=Asoka revisited |access-date=24 February 2014 |author=Khosla, Mukesh |date=2 June 2002 |work=[[Sunday Tribune]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107044454/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020602/spectrum/tv.htm |archive-date=7 January 2014}}</ref> ''Aśoka'' was screened at the [[Venice Film Festival|Venice]] and [[2001 Toronto International Film Festival]]s,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/oct/24mkt.htm |title=Hype 'n' Hoopla |access-date=31 December 2008 |author=Chhabra, Aseem |date=24 October 2001 |work=Rediff.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630033853/http://www.rediff.com/movies/2001/oct/24mkt.htm |archive-date=30 June 2009}}</ref> and received generally positive reviews internationally but failed to do well in India, which was attributed by critics to the way Ashoka was portrayed.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/lf/2002/05/23/stories/2002052304230200.htm |title=Keep date with Asoka |access-date=24 February 2014 |author=Geetanath, V |date=23 May 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226223107/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/lf/2002/05/23/stories/2002052304230200.htm |archive-date=26 February 2018 |work=[[The Hindu]] |url-status=dead}}</ref> Jeff Vice of ''[[The Deseret News]]'' commended her compelling screen presence,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700003037/Asoka.html?pg=all |title=Film review: Asoka |access-date=20 February 2014 |author=Vice, Jeff |date=13 September 2002 |work=[[The Deseret News]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228040156/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700003037/Asoka.html?pg=all |archive-date=28 February 2014}}</ref> but [[Rediff.com]] believed that she was primarily used for aesthetic purposes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://in.rediff.com/movies/2001/oct/26asoka.htm |title=Asoka |access-date=23 June 2008 |author=Bora, Anita |date=26 October 2001 |work=Rediff.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013114405/http://in.rediff.com/movies/2001/oct/26asoka.htm |archive-date=13 October 2008}}</ref> At the [[47th Filmfare Awards]], ''Aśoka'' was nominated for five awards including a [[Filmfare Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] nomination for Kapoor.<ref name="Awards" />

 

 

[[Box Office India]] reported that the success of ''Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai'' and ''Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...'' established Kapoor as a leading actress of Hindi cinema,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/cpages.php?pageName=top_actress |title=Top Actress |access-date=17 February 2014 |publisher=Box Office India |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017104803/http://boxofficeindia.com/cpages.php?pageName=top_actress |archive-date=17 October 2013}}</ref> and Rediff.com published that with ''Aśoka'' she had become the highest-paid Indian actress to that point earning {{INRConvert|15|m}} per film.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2001/nov/05karr.htm |title=More than a woman |access-date=17 February 2014 |author=Jha, Subhash K |date=5 November 2001 |work=Rediff.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221163053/http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2001/nov/05karr.htm |archive-date=21 February 2014}}</ref> During 2002 and 2003, Kapoor continued to work in a number of projects but experienced a setback. All six films in which she starred—''[[Mujhse Dosti Karoge!]]'', ''[[Jeena Sirf Merre Liye]]'', ''[[Talaash: The Hunt Begins...]]'', ''[[Khushi (2003 Hindi film)|Khushi]]'', ''[[Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon]]'', and the four-hour war epic ''[[LOC Kargil]]''—were critically and commercially unsuccessful.<ref name="KK BOI" /> Critics described her performances in these films as variations of the character she played in ''Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...'', and expressed concern that she was becoming [[Typecasting (acting)|typecast]].<ref name="Change">{{cite news |url=http://www.anupamachopra.com/media/pdf/Kareena_Kapoor_Starry_Heights_Sep_08_2003.pdf |title=Starry Heights |access-date=11 July 2012 |author=Chopra, Anupama |date=8 September 2003 |work=India Today |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422132238/http://www.anupamachopra.com/media/pdf/Kareena_Kapoor_Starry_Heights_Sep_08_2003.pdf |archive-date=22 April 2014}}</ref> She later spoke positively of this period, recalling it as a beneficial lesson which taught her to work harder, and has confessed to accepting these roles for financial gain rather than artistic merit.<ref>{{harv|Jhunjhunwala|2012|p=258}}</ref><ref name="Charming">{{cite news |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040118/spectrum/main5.htm |title=Charming Chameli(on) |access-date=6 May 2020 |author=Kalla, Avinash |date=18 January 2004 |work=The Tribune |archive-date=2 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802220208/https://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040118/spectrum/main5.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>