Kajol's magic is still alive
This bubbly and opinionated woman may have taken leave of the big screen (albeit temporarily), but she is very much in the media eye and in people's hearts -- thanks to the brands she has agreed to promote. We see Kajol everyday, helping grooms with car and network trouble, suffering greedy crocodiles with a taste for toffee or washing tomato stains off her husband's pristine white shirts.
But there is much more to Kajol than just ads, glamour and a pretty face. She remains one of Bollywood's most successful actresses and one of the most celebrated faces of Indian cinema. The actress (who turns 32 on August 5) is known for her brilliant onscreen presence and also for her cutting off screen remarks. A renowned bookworm, she is one of the few heroines who has managed to keep her feet out of the muddy gossip pool.
Kajol Mukherjee Devgan is of Marathi/Bengali descent and has a family tree so illustrious that most of us are left with glazed eyes and drooping jaws. Her father is Shomu Mukherjee, a film producer, and her mother is Tanuja, a popular Marathi/Hindi actress of yesteryear. She is also related to some of the best known and best loved names of the film industry. Nutan (the actress doesn't need an introduction) was her aunt, while Shobhna Samarth and Rattan Bai, two influential figures in the early Hindi film industry, were her maternal grandmother and great grandmother respectively.
We aren't done dropping names yet! Film producers Joy and Deb Mukherjee were her paternal uncles, while Sashadhar Mukherjee, the film director and producer who left quite a mark in the industry, was Kajol's paternal grandfather. And the icing on the cake: Satirani Devi, Kajol's paternal grandmother, was the sister of Ashok Kumar, Anoop Kumar and Kishore Kumar.
Kajol began her career quite young. At the age of 17, she debuted in the film Bekhudi. The film may not have been a hit, but her histrionics were certainly noticed. A year later, in 1993, she had her first hit, Baazigar. She went on to make several blockbusters with her Baazigar co-star Shah Rukh Khan -- like Karan Arjun (1994), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Kabhi Khushi KabhieGham (2001).
After her marriage (Kajol is married to actor Ajay Devgan and has a daughter Nysa [Greek for Goddess of Purity]), she made a comeback to the silver screen in 2006 with Fanaa. It was one of the highest grossing films of the year and she won a Filmfare Best Actress Award (her fourth) for her performance.
She has been a constant on the small screen. Besides her innumerable ads, she also appeared on the TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati in 2005 along with her husband. And, surprise, surprise, they won the prize! The couple donated their Rs 1 crore prize money to a cancer hospital in Chennai. Kajol also appeared on Indian Idol seasons 1 and 2 as a celebrity judge.
And how can we forget the famous Kuch Kuch Hota Hai reunion (almost 10 years after the release of the movie) in the first episode of Karan Johar's talk show Koffee with Karan. Kajol, Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee were a laugh riot and ensured that sipping coffee with Karan became a celebrity aspiration.
What is Kajol up to nowadays, besides thinking of what to wear for her birthday party? Well, she is dubbing for the animated version of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. She has also agreed to work with King Khan in Karan Johar's next venture, Khan. The lady is enterprising to say the least.
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