Kajol

At 50 years old, Kajol has this physical status:

Kajol Mukherjee (born Kajol Mukherjee, 5 August 1974), also known by her married name Kajol Devgan, is an Indian film actress who predominantly works in Hindi cinema.

She is the granddaughter of actress Tanuja Samarth and filmmaker Shomu Mukherjee, who were born into the Mukherjee-Samarth family.

She has received numerous awards, including six Filmfare Awards, and her aunt Nutan has the most awards for Best Actress at the ceremony with five.

The government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian award. Kajol made her film debut with the drama Bekhudi (1992), and her first commercial success with the romance Yeh Dillagi (1994).

She earned more success with acting roles in several top-earning films, including the action-thriller Karan Arjun (1995), Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha (1999), and Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain (1999).

In Gupt: The Unknown Truth (1997), she received critical acclaim for her portrayal of an obsessive lover, as well as her twin sisters in Dushman (1998).

Kajol went on to win the Filmfare Award for Best Actress five times in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1995), a tomboyish woman in Kabhi's Kuch Hota Hai (1998), a single mother in My Name Is Khan (2010) and a single mother in My Name Is Khan (2000).

The action-romance Dilwale was her first-grossing debut in 2015. Kajol, a social activist and is best known for her work with widows and children for which she received the Karmaveer Puraskaar in 2008.

She has appeared on Zee TV's reality show Rock-N-Roll Families as a talent judge and currently works in Devgn Entertainment and Software Ltd.

Since 1999, Kajol has been married to actress Ajay Devgn, with whom she has two children.

Early life and background

On August 5, 1994, Kajol was born in Bombay (present-day Mumbai). Tanuja's mother, Tanuja, is an actress, while her father, Shomu Mukherjee, was a film director and producer. Tanishaa, her younger sister, is also an actor. Nutan's maternal grandmother, Shobhna Samarth, and her great-grandmother, Rattan Bai were all involved in Hindi cinema. Joy Mukherjee and Deb Mukherjee, her paternal uncles, were film makers, but her paternal and maternal grandparents, Sashadhar Mukherjee and Kumarsen Samarth, respectively, were filmmakers. Rani Mukerji, Sharbani Mukherjee, and Mohnish Behl, all actors, although Ayan Mukerji is a director.

At an early age, Kajol describes herself as mischievous, persistent, and impulsive. When she was young, her parents separated, but Kajol was unaffected by it because the subject was never addressed at home. Kajol was looked after by her maternal grandmother, who "never let me know that my mother was away and working." According to Kajol, her mother instills in her a sense of autonomy since she was young. Growing up in two separate cultures, she adopted her "Maharashtrian pragmatism" from her mother and her "Bengali temperament" from her father. The Durga Puja festival is held annually in Santacruz' suburban neighborhood, as part of a family's Mukherjees, Kajol, a pracitising Hindu.

Kajol was educated at the Convent School of St. Joseph's Panchgani. In addition to her studies, she was involved in extracurricular activities, such as dancing. She began to develop an avid interest in reading fiction as a child "through the bad times" in her life. Tanuja attempted to direct a film to debut her as an actress in the early 1990s, but it was shelved after just a few days of shooting. Kajol's first appearance on Bekhudi was a "lot of luck"; she was cast by him when she visited the photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha's studio, who also wrote the film's screenplay. She planned to return to school after a two-month break, but she later regretted the decision.

Personal life

When filming Gundaraj, Kajol began dating actress Ajay Devgn in 1994. Members of the media referred to them as a "unlike pair" due to their contradictory personalities. "We never resorted to the old 'I love you' routine,'" Devgn explained their friendship. A plan was never made. We grew with each other as a family. Marriage was never discussed, but it was certainly impending." The couple married at Devgn's house on February 24, 1999 in a traditional Maharashtrian ceremony. As certain members of the media chastised Kajol's decision to settle down at the pinnacle of her career, her marriage was highly scrutinized. Kajol, on the other hand, confirmed that she would not abandon films entirely, but that the amount of work she did will be reduced.

Following her marriage, Kajol joined Devgn and his family at Juhu's ancestral home. Devgn has often been compared to other Bollywood actresses in a romantic sense, and tabloids have also predicted a pending divorce. Kajol insisted that not paying attention to such information rather dismissing them as gossip. Kajol prefers not to talk about her personal life and dislikes being interviewed, deeming it "a waste of time." Nysa was born on the 20th of April 2003, she gave birth to a daughter. Yug gave birth to her son on September 13, 2010, ten years later. She described motherhood as "fab" and said that her children brought out "the best in her" in her. Since 2015, Kajol has used Devgn as her surname. "She speaks English, Hindi, Marathi, and Marathi, and she has shown that she has "can understand Bengali."

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Film career

Kajol made her acting debut in the 1992 romantic drama Bekhudi alongside Kamal Sadanah, her sister Tanuja, and her mother Tanuja. Kajol played Radhika, who falls in love with Sadanah's portrayal of her parents' disapproval. The film was flop at the box office, but Kajol's success earned praise. The following year, she appeared in Abbas–Mustan's crime thriller Baazigar (1993), the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year with revenues of 182.5 million (US$2.3 million). Shah Rukh Khan and Shilpa Shetty co-starred in the film Priya Chopra, a young woman who falls in love with her sister's murderer who has no idea of her identity. Baazigar's first interaction with Khan was the first of her many collaborations. Even though her appearance attracted critical interest, Kajol was mocked for her appearances.

Kajol appeared in Udhaar Ki Zindagi as an orphanage girl visiting her estranged grandparents (Jeetendra and Moushumi Chatterjee). The Bengal Film Journalists' Union said Kajol was named the Best Actress (Hindi) by the Bengal Film Journalists' Union, despite the fact that it did not do well at the box office. For Kajol, it was an emotionally draining film, and she later claimed that it had affected her so much that, as a result of the shooting ended, she was on the brink of a disaster. She made a deliberate decision to sign up lighter films in which she would have little importance and no exciting plans, including Hulchul, Gundaraj, and Karan Arjun, which were all released a year later.

She gained more attention for her appearance in Yeh Dillagi, a Yash Raj Films-produced romance based on the 1953 American play Sabrina Fair, which was released in the United States. Sapna, a chauffeur's daughter who becomes a model and attracts the attention of her father's two sons (Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan), appeared on screen. Yeh Dillagi's debut was a step forward for Kajol, winning her first Best Actress award at the annual Filmfare Awards. Yeh Dillagi had changed her screen persona from a girl next door to a beauty queen, according to the Indian Express, who was impressed by her believable performance.

Kajol's 1995-1996 had two major commercial successes against Shah Rukh Khan: Karan Arjun and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. The former is an action film directed by Rakesh Roshan, based on the theory of reincarnation, and it gave her a small piece of Sonia Saxena Singh, Khan's love interest. She outlined her minor role in the film, saying she wanted to be in an ornamental role and acknowledging that she had nothing to do other than being glamorous. In India, the film became India's second-highest-grossing film of the year. Kajol's next projects, including Taaqat, Hulchul, and Gundaraj, underperform at the box office; the former two were her first relationships with her future husband Ajay Devgn, and trade analysts traced the inability to her chemistry;

In Kajol's last 1995 film, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge starred as non-resident Indians from London who fell in love while on a trip across Europe and reunite in India to convince her conservative father to postpone her proposed marriage. Simran talked about her connection to the project and her complete emotional involvement with her character. It has been running in Mumbai for the longest time in India, with over 1000 weeks of screening in 2014. The film received ten Filmfare Awards, including the first Best Actress for Kajol, which was equally well-reced by critics. In British Film Institute polls, it has been named as one of the best films ever made. According to Raja Sent.com, Kajol was well-cast as Simran, with the claim that "the true-life actress gives the initial prudish and reticent Simran" bringing warmth and confidence to the initially retirious Simran. Bambai Ka Babu, a poorly received action film from 1996, starred her.

In 1997, Kajol's portrayal of Isha Diwan, an obsessive lover turned psychopathic serial killer in Gupt: The Unknown Truth, was described as a turning point by critics. Rajiv Rai said he "tapped the versatile artistry in Kajol," lauding her for the finesse she brought to the role. The suspense thriller, starring Bobby Deol and Manisha Koirala, was also a mainstream hit. Kajol was praised by India Today for outpacing her co-stars, and The Times of India announced in 2016 that she was "probably the first to have broken her goody-two-shoes image." Rediff.com included her in its list of top villain performances in 2002. Kajol was later nominated for and win the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. Kajol said she accepted the role to avoid typecasting and expressed her desire to play more roles of the type in later years.

Kajol replaced Madhuri Dixit in Rajiv Menon's Tamil-language romantic musical Minsara Kanavu, after a leading role in the reincarnation-based film Hameshaa. Kajol found dancing with Deva (himself a dance choreographer) difficult, and it took her hundreds of retakes and rehearsals to get the steps exactly correct. Priya Amalraj, a convent student who aspires to become a nun, was dubbed by actress Revathi, and her voice was sparked. "Kajol is full of beans and flows into her character with commendable ease," the Indian Express wrote. Hers is certainly one of the present's most expressive faces. Although the original version was welcomed by viewers, the Hindi-dubbed version of the film (titled Sapnay) was unsuccessful in terms of commercial revenue. Indra Kumar's comedy-drama Ishq appeared alongside Aamir Khan, Juhi Chawla, and Ajay Devgn. The film, which was a commercial success, received critical acclaim for its performances of the four leads.

Kajol consolidated her place as a leading actress of Hindi cinema in 1998 by appearing in three of the year's best film competitions, Pyaar Kiya To To Hona Hi Tha, and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai; the lattermost were nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Film. Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, where she starred as a na've village girl, was first proclaimed first and received praise. Sonia and Naina were her twin sisters in Dushman the next year. The film was based on Naina's attempt to revenge the murder of Sonia, starring Kajol in one of her best-reviewed roles. She initially declined the offer due to her lack of confidence shooting the rape scene, she eventually accepted it on the condition that a body-double be used in it. The film received the Screen Award for Best Actress. Suparn Verma praised her for her "superb form" in both roles.

Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Anees Bazmee's romantic comedy, is a sequel to the 1995 American film French Kiss. Sanjana, a sarcastic woman who flies from Paris to India in search of her philandering fiancé, falls for another man (Ajay Devgn). The film attracted another Best Actress award at Filmfare this year, and Kajol received his second Best Actress nomination. Deepa Deosthalee of The Indian Express called Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha "Kajol's film all the way" and praised her presence; Khalid Mohamed referred to her as "the show's supersaving grace." Hers is a balancing act, saving even the most brisk scenes from going over the top."

Kajol's biggest success of 1998 was her last release of the year, her first directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. It became an all-time blockbuster in both India and abroad, making it the first Indian feature to be shot in Scotland. (Shah Rukh Khan) Kajol played Anjali Sharma, a tomboyish college student who is secretly in love with her best friend from college (Shah Rukh Khan). The tale follows a resurgent encounter years ago when he is widowed, and she has redesigned her appearance and is now engaged to marrying someone else. Despite an otherwise unrealistic plot, analysts found Kajol's appearance both charming and convincing. Nikhat Kazmi said she is "most mesmeric" in the role. At the 44th Filmfare Awards and the first Zee Cine Award for Best Actress – Female, she received her second Best Actress award and the first Zee Cine Award for Best Actor – Female for her role. In its listing of Indian cinema's "80 Most Iconic Performances," filmfare included Kajol's performances in both Dushman and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Kajol had "emerged as the consummate heroine with her superb emoting and stunning screen presence in every portrayal," Madhur Mittal said in a year-end column.

Journalists expected that the supporting role of Ajay Devgn's character in Dil Kya Kare, Kajol's first publication after marriage, would be "the acid test" for her. She explained that she took the position solely because it had shades of grey." The film received mainly critical feedback, although Deccan Herald praised her for playing finesse in the role. The film also didn't do well on business. On the other hand, Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain, a drama, did well with critics and fans. Anil Kapoor, co-starring, "the stereotypical, sacrifice woman role" was included in her new Best Actress Filmfare nomination. For being one of the few woman-centered films to attract viewers in Indian cinemas, the film earned media attention. Hote Hote Pyar Ho Gaya was her year-end, and it was her last releasing of the year. Jackie Shroff's chemistry with her appeared in the Hindustan Times, but the film was cut off.

In the upcoming year, Kajol and her husband co-starred in his home-production Raju Chacha, whose plot centers around a conman and a governess of three children belonged to a wealthy family. The children's film, which had a production cost of 300 million (US$3.8 million), was deemed one of the most expensive Hindi films at the time. Dinesh Raheja wrote about the lack of imagination in the script, which affected Kajol's chemistry with Ajay Devgn. Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi (2001), a student at the University of Rahul, is a student at the University of On the day, Kajol performed twin sisters who are separated at birth. As was Kajol's dual role, he was dismissive of the film as "a double bore." Roshmila Bhattacharya of Screen defended Kajol's presence and her energetic appearance. Both Raju Chacha and Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi were flops at the box office, which Kajol admitted to having left her ill.

Kajol was a key figure in Karan Johar's ensemble drama Kabhie Gham..., which was the highest-grossing Indian production of all time in the overseas market later this year. She portrayed Anjali Sharma, a young Punjabi woman from Chandni Chowk who falls for a wealthy man (Shah Rukh Khan). She identified herself with the character's commotion and discovered similarities between it and Hema Malini's in Sholay (1975). Kajol had to speak in Punjabi, a language she was not fluent in, and although she didn't succeed at first in learning it, she finally learned the pronunciation and diction with the support of producer Yash Johar and several of the crew members. Her humourous appearance and Punjabi dialect earned her her third Filmfare Award in the Best Actress category. "Kajol steals the thunder from under really high noses indeed," Ziya Us Salam said in a piece for The Hindu. She is a delight every time," she says with her precise timing and subtle lingering voice.

Kajol took a break from full-time acting and dropped several film roles after Kabhie Gham. She admitted that she did not leave the cinema, but that she became more selective of her job choices and wanted to place more emphasis on her marriage. At this point, film observers generally believed that her career was over.

Kunal Kohli's romantic thriller Fanaa (2006) marked Kajol's return to films. Zooni Ali Beg, a blind Kashmiri woman who tragically falls in love with a terrorist, was portrayed by her in this film (Aamir Khan). The film was marketed as her comeback, although she disliked the fact that she did not resign but only took a break. The film was a financial success on its first day, grossing 1 billion (US$13 million) against its US$2.8 million (US$2.8 million) budget. Both the film and Kajol's performance were well-received. Kajol is enough of a reason to watch, according to Sudhish Kamath of The Hindu, and Deepa Gahlot's admission of the role compensated for the film's flaws. Fans of Kajol received their fourth Filmfare Award and second Zee Cine Award for Best Actress.

Throughout the decade, Kajol worked intermittently. She started filming for Rajkumar Santoshi's unreleased mythology film Ramayana, based on the epic of the same name, where she played the goddess Sita. U Me Aur Hum (2008), her husband's debut film in her career, she regarded as a special film in her career. Piya Thapar, a woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease, appeared in it. Despite the fact that the film failed commercially, she received a second Filmfare Award for her performance. Kajol's "simmering pace and... recurring amnesiac spells, rather than getting repetitive, adds to the tale's persuasiveness," Gaurav Malini wrote. However, critics were dismissive of her physical appearance.

In My Name Is Khan (2010), Kajol was the next actor to meet Shah Rukh Khan, based on the inequalities faced by American Muslims after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It was Fox Star Studios' first Indian film to be released. It began with mixed-to-positive feedback and soared as a worldwide success. My Name Is Khan was on display at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Indian Film Festival in Los Angeles, and the Rome Film Festival. India and overseas commentators applauded Kajol's portrayal of Mandira, a Hindu single mother who marries a Muslim man with Asperger's syndrome. Rajeev Masand wrote positively about Kajol's emotional appearance, while the Los Angeles Times discovered her to be likable in an emotion-based role. Kajol received her fifth Best Actress award at Filmfare, thereby sharing the award with her late aunt Nutan. In addition, she was nominated for the Screen Award for Best Actress in a Drama, the Stardust Award for Best Actress in a Drama, and the Zee Cine Award for Best Actor – Female.

Kajol appeared in We Are Family, a Siddharth Malhotra's version of the 1998 American drama Stepmom, alongside Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in the same year. Kajol played Maya, a woman she identified with for being a "control freak" in the search of perfection, and found it largely different from Susan Sarandon's version. Maya was modeled after his grandmother Bina Rai's death in a small way. Mayank Shekhar's appearance as being better than Sarandon's was praised, and Rachel Saltz of The New York Times said "her naturalism gives the film a real emotional kick." Priya Kumar, a woman trapped in a cartoon world, was Kajol's next release this year. Kajol discussed the film's challenges and difficulties with dubbing. The film, which was dubbed the first Hindi live action animated film, angered critics and failed to attract an audience. Since she did not have her role to do, she was terminated. She returned to it after her son's birth in 2010, but she did not give the opening credits of the Hindi version of the fantasy film Eega, which appeared in 2012.

Kajol appeared in Rohit Shetty's action romance Dilwale (2015) for the seventh time after a five-year absence. Meera Dev Malik, the daughter of a mafia don's who falls for a man from her rival clan, was the protagonist of a conflict. Reviewers were split on their evaluations of the film; Mint proclaimed it as the year's most "tiresome movie." Durga Rani Singh (2016), a mixed reviewer, prompted her to regret her decision over the thriller Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh (2016). Despite a lesser person, Kajol's appearance received praise; in the words of India Today's Suhani Singh, "Kajol is a radiant presence on the screen and delivers what is expected out of her" despite her modest appearance; even more so. Dilwale came as a big commercial success, grossing more than 3.8 billion (US$48 million) worldwide and ranked as one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time. At various award ceremonies, including Filmfare, Kajol's appearance earned Best Actress nominations.

Vitti Dandu, co-produced by Ajay Devgn and Leena Deore, was released later this year and explored the relationships between a grandfather and his grandson. The film received the Best Marathi Film award at the Screen Awards and was well-received by commentators. After Minsara Kanavu's second Tamil-language film in 2017, Kajol starred opposite Dhanush in Velaiilla Pattadhari 2, a sequel to the 2014 masala film Velaiilla Pattadhari and her second Tamil-language film. Vasundhara Parameshwar, the chairwoman of the construction company Vasundhara Constructions, was cast as Vasundhara Parameshwar. Kajol was initially unsure about doing the film, but eventually accepted the role thanks to her faith in Dhanush and producer Soundarya Rajinikanth, both of whom were praised for giving the bravery she needed to perform in a non-Hindi-language film. Velaiilla Pattadhari 2 opened to a skeptic reception but it did well financially, but Kajol was praised for her beauty and adaptability to the role.

In 2018, Kajol portrayed a helicopter mother with aspire to be a singer at her son's (Riddhi Sen) academy to complete her training in the drama Helicopter Eela, based on Anand Gandhi's Gujarati play Beta, Kaagdo. She was seduced by the role's vibrant personality and her son's friendship. The film suffered both commercially and with critics, and Kajol's appearance was met with a mixed reception. According to a Scroll.in reviewer, Riddhi Sen's confidence in the comic scenes was lacking. "When the movie finally does, she settles." Raja Sen wrote for the Hindustan Times sluggishness, but said that Pradeep Sarkar, the film's director, "has lucked out with his heroine." Kajol is full of verve, and her excitement is infectious even when her overtly ecstatic appearance comes across as too chirrupy." Helen Parr in the computer-animated superhero film Incredibles 2's Hindi version in the same year.

Kajol's "big year" in 2020, the Telegraph announced, she has emphasized character over length rather than length. Tanhaji, co-starring Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan, was her first release of the year. It became the year's highest-grossing film, based on Tanaji Malusare's life, grossing 3.5 billion (US$46 million). She played Tanhaji's wife Savitribai, who she described as a strong character that she likes. Despite the fact that her turn was brief on screen, critics were raving about her performance. Devi, her first short film, about nine women who live in a room sheltered from the outside world, will be released later this year. Critics lauded it, and Kajol was singled out for leading the diverse cast. Devi received the Best Film (Popular Choice) at the Filmfare Short Film Awards.

Renuka Shahane's social drama Tribhanga (2021), which was her first collaboration with Netflix, was Kajol's next project. It's set in Mumbai and revolves around three women from one family (Kajol, Mithila Palkar, and Tanvi Azmi), with Kajol playing foul-mouthed Odissi dancer Anuradha Apte. She noticed a similarity between the three main characters' relationship and her own with her mother and daughter. The film and Kajol's appearance in it received raves. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV lauded her for providing the dramatic atmosphere needed "to keep trundling up at an even pace"; Stutee Ghosh of The Quint found Azmi and Kajol's solid performances to be "awesome hold, and it's impossible to concentrate on anyone else when they are in the film. Her work was nominated for the Best Actress category at the 2nd Filmfare OTT Awards.

In Revathi's family romance Salaam Venky and Disney+'s Political and Legal drama, Kajol will appear.

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