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Kajol says B-wood doesn't need young, pretty girls to make a film work anymore....
In a 1997 interview, before marriage, you said that "the subjects in our films are only love stories, we have not evolved beyond that point, we don't cater to a literate audience. And since in such films you need young, pretty girls, it obviously follows that the lifespan of the average actress, at least as lead, is very short-lived." Having started at 16, today, at 35, do you feel that this still holds true?
I don't think that age has anything to do with it in Indian cinema anymore ' and thank God for that! Cinema has changed, and it's an exciting time to be in right now, because we have different kinds of movies that are all working today. You have a "Peepli Live" on the one hand which is doing so well, and on the other hand, you have a, well, "All The Best", which has also done well. That's the great thing nowadays, that its not restricted to a certain type or genre anymore.
You say age has nothing to do with it "any more" ' when did this transition happen?
I don't know. I think it happened round about 9-10 years back, when people started wanting something different, and asking for something different. As we know, in Hindi movies, we only cater to what people want, so that's what we gave them.
At one point motherhood was a watershed for a leading actress' career ' today it doesn't seem to impact your stature. Madhuri Dixit said your comeback post motherhood in "Fanaa" inspired her to do "Aaja Nachle". Do you see yourself as something of a trendsetter here?
Not at all! Because if you look at our history, we have a Sharmila Tagore, we have a Saira Banu, we have a lot of actresses who have worked better and longer after they have gotten married; it is just that I may be one of the first in this generation, but I don't think I am one of the first, not in any way.
Did you find a difference in the kind of scripts being offered post marriage, post motherhood?
Not really... post motherhood, maybe. It's all for the better anyways, since I really like that I am being offered roles that are meatier, that I can sink my teeth into. So yeah, maybe I am getting better roles than I used to get earlier.
You've said on record many a time that "I think the family is and should be the first priority in any woman's life". You are never ambivalent about this position; people sometimes ask Ajay if you do so few films since home is always first priority, career is subsequent. Wouldn't modern day feminists take offence at the "family first" perspective?
Not at all! I think a feminist is a woman who stands up for her rights, and stands up for what she believes is right, not what the word "feminism" stands for. There are a lot of women who are not in a financial position to stay at home and take care of their kids. I really admire them for that, it's really, really hard for a woman to do that, I know that for a fact. When I had Nysa I don't think I stepped out of the house for the first six months. To reiterate, I believe that a feminist is a woman who stands up for what she believes is right for her; not for what she believes the world thinks is right for her!
Have you ever looked back at a movie and said, I wish I hadn't done that?
Hmm... no, I haven't. Even if I have seen it as a trial to get through and a trauma to endure, I have always thought of it as a learning experience and I take responsibility for it, I do, I don't believe that I can regret ' it's something to learn from, and I have learnt from it.
Like SRK says that he ends up playing "Rahul" or its equivalent so often since that is what the industry demands of him, isn't there the expectation of the tearjerker family drama from Kajol most of the time?
Like I said, people can expect what they like from you. It depends on what you expect from yourself. And as Shah Rukh has proved it, while he plays Rahul once in a while, he definitely plays everything else as well. That's his courage as an actor that he does all that, despite the fact that he believes that Rahul is what people are usually expecting.
Is it flattering or is it irritating to have people speak of the SRK-Kajol chemistry all the time?
I don't know... I think it's something that people like to think about. They like to think about it, and they like to build up on it. And I'm really okay with it, I'm kind of used to it now.
You do well with certain co-stars, directors ' SRK, KJo, et al. One way to look at it is that you work best with the people you have a comfort level with. The cynics, however, see it as camps at work in Bollywood. Do you think such choices limit your options to work with others?
I don't really care what other people see me as. I seriously don't. I've always worried about what my opinion of myself is. And I've always thought that it carries most weight. So I don't care what other people's opinion of me is or how they view whatever I've said or done.
Is there a reality to Ajay's supposed angst with the way you have been positioned in the build-up to We Are Family's release?
Not really. As he said, and as I said, the promotion of a film is up to the director ' up to the producer in fact ' it is really up to him how he wishes to go about it, and I don't think anybody has the right to tell Karan how to portray his film, for sure.
Isn't it atypical of Ajay to speak in public this way?
It is, yes. It is not typical at all of Ajay ' but I think it's okay, it's understandable, it's not something that's totally alien to him either.
Has he ever come back to you with reactions on earlier movies this way?
I'd prefer to keep that personal, really.
Doesn't Karan offer you the same sort of roles each time?
Not really. I think every script he comes back with, the character he wants me to portray is different. At the same time, I think a director sees you in a particular light always ' and I think, always will, or that's the way Karan puts it, at least. He says, 'I see you in a way that I see you, and that's the way I will always see you...' So I think there's a similarity to the characters, maybe, but I don't think they are all the same.
Doesn't this Karan-vision limit your growth as an actress?
I don't think so, for it's up to me as an actress to change whatever I want to and fortunately for me, he is a good enough director to let me do what I want to do, even if it is to take a chance on something he doesn't believe in.
When you sign up for a remake, aren't you setting yourself up for endless comparisons with the original? Isn't the prospect of a role-to-role comparison with Susan Sarandon unsettling? Isn't that a disadvantage even before "We Are Family" releases?
Well, that is a disadvantage, that it will obviously be compared to another movie ' there will be comparisons, you can't run away from that fact, but the movie will have its own individuality, whether good, bad or indifferent. You go in expecting a remake and come out thinking, 'Damn, that wasn't a bad film!' I hope so, at least!
Since you are picky about scripts, when a director ' even if Karan ' walks up to you and suggests a remake, even if he is changing it, wouldn't the lack of originality of the basic script bug you?
Definitely, I agree, I believe a script should be original. At the same time, "Stepmom" is the kind of film I've always thought could be made into a Hindi film, because it's a very Hindi script! It's got all the sacrifice and drama that an Indian script actually requires.
The papers are full of goss about the vibes between stars, especially leading actresses, and so when your husband makes a remark about your positioning vis--vis your co-star, and it gets widely reported, does it impact your equation with Kareena?
Not at all! Really, not at all. The newspapers have nothing to do with our relationships, or the way we go about handling our lives. If I read in a paper that somebody has said something about me, I'm going to take it with a pinch of salt, I really am!
Bollywood's stars often use their personal life to get talked about. You have the reverse reflex...
I believe in my privacy. I always have, and I always will. I don't think that my private life needs to be on display for me to get a better response at the box office, or for me to get a better choice of movies.
As in Ajay's case, you aren't one to emulate Karan and be seen on social networking or microblogging sites... Ajay says he's lazy. How is it for you?
I don't have anything that I want to say everyday. I really don't! And I think it takes too much of time and effort to do that. I have a lot more going on in my life than to get onto a social networking site, you know, and put myself up there. It's another demand on your time and energy, which, frankly, I don't have the patience to give anybody right now.
Last Q: Would you compare Ajay and Karan as directors?
I think they are both very different directors! Ajay is one of the most fantastic directors I have had the pleasure of working with ' the honour of working with, really ' and I hope that I have the privilege of working with him again. As far as Karan is concerned, I have seen him grow as a director from "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" to "K3G" to "My Name Is Khan"; again, it's been a privilege to work with him as well!
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Age-no-longer-matters-Kajol/articleshow/6426067.cms
In a 1997 interview, before marriage, you said that "the subjects in our films are only love stories, we have not evolved beyond that point, we don't cater to a literate audience. And since in such films you need young, pretty girls, it obviously follows that the lifespan of the average actress, at least as lead, is very short-lived." Having started at 16, today, at 35, do you feel that this still holds true?
I don't think that age has anything to do with it in Indian cinema anymore ' and thank God for that! Cinema has changed, and it's an exciting time to be in right now, because we have different kinds of movies that are all working today. You have a "Peepli Live" on the one hand which is doing so well, and on the other hand, you have a, well, "All The Best", which has also done well. That's the great thing nowadays, that its not restricted to a certain type or genre anymore.
You say age has nothing to do with it "any more" ' when did this transition happen?
I don't know. I think it happened round about 9-10 years back, when people started wanting something different, and asking for something different. As we know, in Hindi movies, we only cater to what people want, so that's what we gave them.
At one point motherhood was a watershed for a leading actress' career ' today it doesn't seem to impact your stature. Madhuri Dixit said your comeback post motherhood in "Fanaa" inspired her to do "Aaja Nachle". Do you see yourself as something of a trendsetter here?
Not at all! Because if you look at our history, we have a Sharmila Tagore, we have a Saira Banu, we have a lot of actresses who have worked better and longer after they have gotten married; it is just that I may be one of the first in this generation, but I don't think I am one of the first, not in any way.
Did you find a difference in the kind of scripts being offered post marriage, post motherhood?
Not really... post motherhood, maybe. It's all for the better anyways, since I really like that I am being offered roles that are meatier, that I can sink my teeth into. So yeah, maybe I am getting better roles than I used to get earlier.
You've said on record many a time that "I think the family is and should be the first priority in any woman's life". You are never ambivalent about this position; people sometimes ask Ajay if you do so few films since home is always first priority, career is subsequent. Wouldn't modern day feminists take offence at the "family first" perspective?
Not at all! I think a feminist is a woman who stands up for her rights, and stands up for what she believes is right, not what the word "feminism" stands for. There are a lot of women who are not in a financial position to stay at home and take care of their kids. I really admire them for that, it's really, really hard for a woman to do that, I know that for a fact. When I had Nysa I don't think I stepped out of the house for the first six months. To reiterate, I believe that a feminist is a woman who stands up for what she believes is right for her; not for what she believes the world thinks is right for her!
Have you ever looked back at a movie and said, I wish I hadn't done that?
Hmm... no, I haven't. Even if I have seen it as a trial to get through and a trauma to endure, I have always thought of it as a learning experience and I take responsibility for it, I do, I don't believe that I can regret ' it's something to learn from, and I have learnt from it.
Like SRK says that he ends up playing "Rahul" or its equivalent so often since that is what the industry demands of him, isn't there the expectation of the tearjerker family drama from Kajol most of the time?
Like I said, people can expect what they like from you. It depends on what you expect from yourself. And as Shah Rukh has proved it, while he plays Rahul once in a while, he definitely plays everything else as well. That's his courage as an actor that he does all that, despite the fact that he believes that Rahul is what people are usually expecting.
Is it flattering or is it irritating to have people speak of the SRK-Kajol chemistry all the time?
I don't know... I think it's something that people like to think about. They like to think about it, and they like to build up on it. And I'm really okay with it, I'm kind of used to it now.
You do well with certain co-stars, directors ' SRK, KJo, et al. One way to look at it is that you work best with the people you have a comfort level with. The cynics, however, see it as camps at work in Bollywood. Do you think such choices limit your options to work with others?
I don't really care what other people see me as. I seriously don't. I've always worried about what my opinion of myself is. And I've always thought that it carries most weight. So I don't care what other people's opinion of me is or how they view whatever I've said or done.
Is there a reality to Ajay's supposed angst with the way you have been positioned in the build-up to We Are Family's release?
Not really. As he said, and as I said, the promotion of a film is up to the director ' up to the producer in fact ' it is really up to him how he wishes to go about it, and I don't think anybody has the right to tell Karan how to portray his film, for sure.
Isn't it atypical of Ajay to speak in public this way?
It is, yes. It is not typical at all of Ajay ' but I think it's okay, it's understandable, it's not something that's totally alien to him either.
Has he ever come back to you with reactions on earlier movies this way?
I'd prefer to keep that personal, really.
Doesn't Karan offer you the same sort of roles each time?
Not really. I think every script he comes back with, the character he wants me to portray is different. At the same time, I think a director sees you in a particular light always ' and I think, always will, or that's the way Karan puts it, at least. He says, 'I see you in a way that I see you, and that's the way I will always see you...' So I think there's a similarity to the characters, maybe, but I don't think they are all the same.
Doesn't this Karan-vision limit your growth as an actress?
I don't think so, for it's up to me as an actress to change whatever I want to and fortunately for me, he is a good enough director to let me do what I want to do, even if it is to take a chance on something he doesn't believe in.
When you sign up for a remake, aren't you setting yourself up for endless comparisons with the original? Isn't the prospect of a role-to-role comparison with Susan Sarandon unsettling? Isn't that a disadvantage even before "We Are Family" releases?
Well, that is a disadvantage, that it will obviously be compared to another movie ' there will be comparisons, you can't run away from that fact, but the movie will have its own individuality, whether good, bad or indifferent. You go in expecting a remake and come out thinking, 'Damn, that wasn't a bad film!' I hope so, at least!
Since you are picky about scripts, when a director ' even if Karan ' walks up to you and suggests a remake, even if he is changing it, wouldn't the lack of originality of the basic script bug you?
Definitely, I agree, I believe a script should be original. At the same time, "Stepmom" is the kind of film I've always thought could be made into a Hindi film, because it's a very Hindi script! It's got all the sacrifice and drama that an Indian script actually requires.
The papers are full of goss about the vibes between stars, especially leading actresses, and so when your husband makes a remark about your positioning vis--vis your co-star, and it gets widely reported, does it impact your equation with Kareena?
Not at all! Really, not at all. The newspapers have nothing to do with our relationships, or the way we go about handling our lives. If I read in a paper that somebody has said something about me, I'm going to take it with a pinch of salt, I really am!
Bollywood's stars often use their personal life to get talked about. You have the reverse reflex...
I believe in my privacy. I always have, and I always will. I don't think that my private life needs to be on display for me to get a better response at the box office, or for me to get a better choice of movies.
As in Ajay's case, you aren't one to emulate Karan and be seen on social networking or microblogging sites... Ajay says he's lazy. How is it for you?
I don't have anything that I want to say everyday. I really don't! And I think it takes too much of time and effort to do that. I have a lot more going on in my life than to get onto a social networking site, you know, and put myself up there. It's another demand on your time and energy, which, frankly, I don't have the patience to give anybody right now.
Last Q: Would you compare Ajay and Karan as directors?
I think they are both very different directors! Ajay is one of the most fantastic directors I have had the pleasure of working with ' the honour of working with, really ' and I hope that I have the privilege of working with him again. As far as Karan is concerned, I have seen him grow as a director from "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" to "K3G" to "My Name Is Khan"; again, it's been a privilege to work with him as well!
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Age-no-longer-matters-Kajol/articleshow/6426067.cms
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