When it comes to Kajol, where shall I begin? If there is one contemporary heroine whom I feel could make use of a time machine and travel to other eras and still shine as an actress, it’s Kajol. She’s not a slave to method but a free effervescent spirit, with the ability to move in and out of a character at warp speed when need be. We hear stories of her disinterest for make-up, of even wearing shorts and chappals if the cameraman was only taking mid shots, of her yakking nineteen-to-the-dozen non-stop for hours and of her famous tantrums. There are also stories of her crying her heart out seeing the plight of underprivileged kids, of her secretly supporting several charities, of her bargaining for kiddie clothes in regular shops as she doesn’t want to waste oodles of money on something the kids would outgrow in a while.
She’s grown from being a clumsy tomboy to a fashionista in her own right. She wears her Pradas with pride and her recent weight loss makes her seem like a teenager once more. She gave up everything at the top of her career for love and from a feisty actress, flowed into being a loving wife and mother with ease. Few gave more than a snowball’s chance in hell to her marriage with Ajay Devgn, citing their chalk and cheese temperaments as a deterrent. Well, they say love finds a way and it has. The marriage has survived all the pitfalls, be it their initial disastrous foray into production, Ajay’s various rumoured affairs and other constraints of a celebrity marriage. To his credit, Ajay has supported her all the way and her various comebacks, whether it was in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Fanaa or My Name Is Khan, only have her fans clamouring for more. Such is her popularity even today that she has more endorsement deals in her kitty than any other contemporary heroine.
Every great actor has an iconic role to their credit. For Madhubala, it was Mughal-e-Azam, for Waheeda Rehman it was Guide, and for Kajol it was Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. She wowed the senses like a moveable feast in the film. Take her away and you take away the film’s soul. It will remain an empty husk, devoid of any meaning. She continues to win new fans with each passing year. Every teenager who watches the film wishes to be Simran and win her Prince Charming. Watching her in the film, my blues take a hike. I must have watched the film a zillion times and her alluring smile, her awkwardness in dealing with the first flush of love still takes my breath away.
I have been her greatest admirer on screen and off screen, our relationship has blown-hot-blown-cold. I don’t mind the occasional cold shoulder because I know being Kajol, in her heart there is no anger. She’s on the cover of the present issue and I hope and pray that the jaw-dropping photos she has shot for us will put her in the eyes of today’s filmmakers once more… I’m waiting for her next reign to start soon…
