Kajol thought Baazigar ‘wasn’t right’; her father’s industry foresight changed her career path

Ahead of her next release Sarzameen, Kajol has reflected on one of the most defining choices of her career, doing Baazigar. While the 1993 film went on to become a major success and marked the beginning of her long-standing on-screen partnership with Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol recently shared that she had initial doubts about signing the project.

Speaking to Filmfare, Kajol opened up about how her late father, filmmaker Shomu Mukherji, played a crucial role in shaping some of her early career decisions. She recalled a time when she was just 16 and contemplating a career in films. “My dad actually warned me,” she said. “He told me, ‘You better be sure what you want to do, because once you put that makeup on, it's not going to come off.’”

At the time, Kajol was confident in her independence and replied to him saying, “What nonsense! I am an educated girl, I am a today’s woman. If I choose to leave the films, I will leave the films and I will show you. There's no one who can keep me from doing what I want to do.”

Later in the conversation, she revealed that it was her father who ultimately convinced her to take on Baazigar, directed by the duo Abbas-Mustan. “I was really not sure about it. I was like, ‘What is this film? What am I doing in it?’” she admitted. “He said, no, you must do it. These are good directors, I know Abbas-Mustan.”

That advice would prove prescient. Baazigar not only launched Shah Rukh Khan into stardom but also firmly established Kajol as a strong screen presence in commercial cinema. The film’s success paved the way for the celebrated SRK-Kajol pairing in future hits.

Shomu Mukherji passed away in 2008 after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 65. Kajol, who was last seen in the horror-thriller Maa, will next appear in Sarzameen, set to premiere on JioCinema on July 25.