Kareena attended Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai and Welham Girls Boarding School in Dehradun. She studied commerce for two years at Mithibai College in Mumbai. However, she disliked it there and studied only because she was close to her family. Kareena then registered for a three-month summer course in micro-computers at Harvard University in the United States. She later developed an interest in law and enrolled in the Government Law College in Churchgate. However, after completing one year at Churchgate, Kareena returned to her initial plan of becoming an actress.
Kareena made her debut opposite Abhishek Bachchan in J P Dutta's Refugee in 2000. Though the film wasn't a huge commercial success, it earned her the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and she was hailed by critics as an emerging star.