MUMBAI - Mum is the word for Kareena Kapoor and the actress would go to any length to keep her mother happy. So she has decided to stay away from bikini scenes as her mother, yesteryear heroine Babita, didn’t like her in a two-piece suit in “Tashan”.

“No more bikini shots for me. I mean I’m very happy with the kind of attention and adulation I got for getting into a bikini in ‘Tashan’. And I wasn’t uncomfortable wearing it. Why should I be? I’ve the physique to carry it off. But that’s it.

“My mother didn’t like me in a bikini. Also the kind of work that I’m doing now in ‘3 Idiots’ or Rensil D’Silva’s film doesn’t require that kind of exposure,” Kareena told IANS.

With Kareena being extremely busy with her career and beau Saif Ali Khan, mom Babita has a lot of time on hand.

“She now does a lot of charity work with charitable institutions like the Mount Mary Old Age Home in Bandra and other places. She’s a very giving woman. I should know. She sacrificed her own career and joys to bring up my sister and me,” said the actress.

Not too many people know that Babita is half Christian.

“Her mother was a Christian and father a Sindhi. So we are as fond of the church as we’re of the temple. Christmas is a big event for us,” said Kareena.

Surprisingly, the actress is full of praise for her supposed archrival Priyanka Chopra.

“I don’t know why so much is made of our rivalry. We’re in totally different spaces. She does her own films. I do mine. Whenever we meet, she’s really sweet to me. I don’t understand why we’re made out to be two squabbling sirens. Please, we’re grown up women,” said Kareena who has also kissed and made up with Aishwarya Rai.

As far as conducting a career goes, Kareena’s role model is Aishwarya.

“I love the way she carries herself and the roles she’s choosing after marriage. I’d like to follow that pattern when I get married,” she said.

But that’s a long way off. At the moment Kareena is just happy being with Saif.

“He may appear to be very volatile and undecided, just like me. But actually he takes all the right decisions on my behalf. He’s totally into his books while I love films. I keep him clued in to what’s happening in the industry. We’re both Aamir (Khan) fans. After ‘Ghajini’, I think the next film Saif will see will be my ‘3 Idiots’. And this time it won’t be for Aamir.”

Kareena, whose next release is the much-hyped “Kambakkht Ishq”, is also reading some scripts.

“I’m definitely going to read some scripts and select the right films to do after ‘3 Idiots’ and Rensil’s film. I’ve to find films that justify my presence.”

The actress has also bought a new apartment for herself in a building called Queen.

“Of course, my mother is moving with me. I can’t live, breathe or take one step without my mother. The only difference is she’ll now have a separate apartment. But we’re still on the same floor,” she said.

As for the home that Saif is preparing for the two of them, Kareena said: “That won’t be ready for another two years. That’s how long it’s going to be before we get married anyway. Right now my diary is filled up till 2010. There’s no space for even a runaway marriage.”