Kajol

Kajol (born August 5, 1974, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India) is an Indian actress known for her versatility and expressive acting style. She is one of the most successful actresses in Bollywood, having won six Filmfare Awards, given for excellence in Indian cinema. She comes from a long line of actors. Her mother, Tanuja; aunt, Nutan; and cousins are all actors, as well as her husband, Ajay Devgn.

Debut and early career

In 1992 Kajol was cast in her first film, Bekhudi (“Ecstasy”), at age 16. Although the film did not perform well at the box office, she gained notice for her performance, and she appeared in the crime thriller Baazigar (“Gambler”) opposite the popular actor Shah Rukh Khan in 1993. The two were noted for their on-screen chemistry and were cast together in multiple films following Baazigar’s success.

In 1994 Kajol was cast in Udhaar Ki Zindagi (“Life of Debt”), which earned her critical acclaim, and Yeh Dillagi (“This Cheerfulness”; a remake of 1954 Hollywood film Sabrina). In the following year, she starred in five movies, including the reincarnation and revenge thriller Karan Arjun, costarring Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and stardom

Kajol’s biggest release in 1995 was the blockbuster Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ; “The Brave-Hearted Will Win the Bride”). It grossed $60 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Indian film of the year. It also became the longest-running Bollywood film ever—as of 2024, it was still playing in Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir cinema hall. DDLJ, in which Kajol again starred with Shah Rukh Khan, was one of the first movies to target an audience in the Indian diaspora and is regarded as Bollywood’s definitive romance film. She and Khan portrayed young nonresident Indians living in London. The film further popularized Kajol and Khan as a pairing, and Kajol received her first Filmfare Award, for best actress.

In 1997 Kajol starred in Gupt: The Hidden Truth (“Secret”), in which she defied traditional expectations by playing the movie’s villain. For this, she won her second Filmfare Award, for best actor in a villainous role. In 1998 Kajol appeared in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (“Something Is Happening”) with Khan, both portraying college students who fall in love later in life. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, director Karan Johar’s film debut, was widely successful, becoming the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 1998. Kajol won her third Filmfare Award, for best actress, for her performance.

Marriage and later career

Kajol married actor Ajay Devgn in 1999 after dating for five years. The couple had costarred in films such as Ishq (1997; “Love”) and Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha (1998; “Love Was Bound to Happen”). Their marriage was met with widespread media scrutiny, as it occurred at the pinnacle of her career. However, Kajol maintained that she would continue acting, though less frequently. She has two children, Nysa and Yug, from the marriage.

In 2001 Kajol played a leading role in Johar’s drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham… (K3G; “Sometimes Happiness, Sometimes Sadness”). The film broke box office records and was the second highest-grossing film in India that year. Kajol won best actress at the Filmfare Awards for her role as Anjali, a woman from a low-income family who falls in love with a business tycoon’s son, Rahul, portrayed by Khan. After the success of K3G, Kajol took a break before returning for the 2006 film Fanaa (“Annihilation”) opposite Aamir Khan. Her portrayal of a visually impaired woman earned Kajol her fifth Filmfare Award, for best actress.

In 2008 she received critical acclaim for her role as a woman with Alzheimer disease in U Me Aur Hum (“You, Me, and Us”), though the film was only a moderate success. In 2011 Kajol received her sixth Filmfare Award, for best actress, for her performance in My Name Is Khan, which focused on discrimination faced by Muslims in the United States following the September 11 terrorist attacks. In 2015 Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan reprised their roles as lovers in Dilwale (“Brave-Hearted”), a humorous tribute to DDLJ.

Streaming debut

In 2021 Kajol collaborated with Netflix for the first time to star in Tribhanga (“Triple-Bend Position”), which revolved around intergenerational conflicts between three women within a family. In 2022 Kajol starred in Salaam Venky, a family drama. She continued to star in streaming projects, such as the acclaimed anthology Lust Stories 2 (2023), legal drama series The Trial (2023), and the thriller Do Patti (2024; “Two Cards”).

Family and public image

Kajol’s paternal grandfather, Sasadhar Mukherjee, was one of the founders of the production house Bombay Talkies, which pioneered Hindi filmmaking in the 1930s and ’40s; he later founded the Filmistan and Filmalaya studios. The Mukherjees are party of a vast interconnected film dynasty that includes—in addition to Kajol’s mother, Tanuja, aunt, Nutan, and maternal grandmother, Shobhana Samarth, all leading actresses of their generations—Bollywood legends Ashok Kumar and Kishore Kumar, actor Joy Mukherjee, actress Rani Mukerji, and director Ayan Mukerji.

Kajol stands out among her Bollywood contemporaries for her refusal to conform to existing Bollywood beauty standards. While Kajol’s acting performances have received multiple accolades, the media has been critical of her looks and personal presentation. Not only has she been indifferent to the criticism, but she also actively resists attempts to box her into traditional notions of beauty and is regarded as an pioneer of body positivity in the Indian film industry. She is noted for her social activism and has received awards for helping to educate underprivileged children and widows.