Kajol

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BIOGRAPHY

How does you solve a problem like Kajol? How do you catch a cloud and bring it down? How do you find a word that means Kajol? A flibbertigibbet! A willo' the wisp! A clown! Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her! Many a thing she ought to understand. But how do you make her stay. And listen to all you say. How do you keep a wave upon the sand. How do you solve a problem like Kajol? How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?

This song from the film Sound Of Music aptly encapsulates Kajol's persona. She is unpredictable just like the weather. She is as flighty as the feather. She hates putting on make-up. She detest being kept waiting on the set to be called for her shot. Out of the hundred people that she meets everyday, she hates 99 of them. She makes no bones about her displeasure when she dislikes something or someone. At the same time if she likes you, she will go out of her way to please you. Kajol was already labelled as firebrand even before she began her career as an actress. She was a perfect replica of her mother Tanuja. Dropping out of college Kajol announced her decision to join films. She agreed to make her debut in Rahul Rawail's Bekhudi opposite Kamal Sadanah the script of which was penned down by good friend and photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha. The film did not create any box-office history but Kajol had arrived.

Abbas-Mustan's Baazigar only abetted that fact! The film, a remake of the Hollywood hit A Kiss Before Dying set a trend of sorts. Lead actors were now open to play characters with shades of grey. And the conservative Indian audience was ready to accept them. Initially Kajol was to play a double role in the film. But directors had a change of mind and another newcomer Shilpa Shetty was zeroed in on to play the other lead in the film. Baazigar became a huge hit. Kajol became an actress to reckon with.

Followed Udhar Ki Zindagi. A troubled relationship of a daughter and her grandfather gave Kajol another platform to prove her histrionics once again. Though the critics panned the film, they could not write-off Kajol's fantabulous performance.

Kajol by now had become choosy about the kind of films she would agree to do. She nodded to Naresh Malhotra's Yeh Dillagi. The film starred Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. Not much was expected from this film made under the Yashraj banner. Unlike his action image Akshay Kumar for the first time played a sober character. Saif till date had had only flops to his credit. The entire film rested on Kajol's shoulders. And carry the film on her shoulders she did. The film became a hit. Kajol was nearly crowned the No.1. "Acting is a hobby. The day it stops being a hobby I will give it up," she maintained.

Though Kajol has had her share of inconsequential films, the unimaginable success of films like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge(the film fetched her the best actress award in 1995), Gupt (the film fetched her the best villain in 1997), Karan Arjun, Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya, Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (the film fetched her the best actress award in 1998) Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rahte Hain and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (the film fetched her the best actress award in 2000) overshadowed them. In fact if you look at Kajol's careergraph in the year 1998 all her three releases viz; Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya, Pyar To Hona Hi Tha and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai became massive box-office hits making her the most sought after actress.

Kajol today prefers the comforts of home and hearth than the arclights of the studios. Married to actor Ajay Devgan she is leading a blissful life that's absolutely private. After marriage the only time she made headlines was when she misconceived. Ajay and Kajol are now looking forward to being parents once again. Meanwhile Kajol continues to be what she always was. At the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation Award held recently when a man asked her for her autograph, she just looked through him. The very next moment when a sweet young boy asked her for the same, she not only autographed over his autograph book but also gave him a peck on the cheek. When asked why the difference in her attitude towards her two different fans? "That's me! And I'm like that only! What to do?" she laughed as she rushed inside the car leaving the mad crowd gasping for more.