Kajol admits she’s like the ‘Maa’ from K3G who’d whistle and hoot for kids Nysa, Yug when they’re on stage: ‘It really embarrasses them’

I think most women have that slight motherly tendency. But yes, body language comes more naturally when you have a child. There are a lot more things you’d do more instinctively as a mother, as opposed to someone who’s never had kids.

You were such a mom in K3G, when you whistled and hooted for your son who’s going to perform on stage for the first time. Are you like that in real life as well?

I am! And trust me, it really embarrasses my kids. My kids have much more severe reactions to that than that poor child ever did (laughs). I’ve stood up during all of Yug’s musical and Nysa’s stage performances, where she’s surrounded by 15 other girls, and I’m just clapping away. She just (signals her to sit down and not embarrass her).

You also played a mom in U Me Aur Hum (2008), with Ajay Devgn as your husband and director. I can’t forget the scene where you’re heavily pregnant yet skipping rope because you think you’ve just gained weight, thanks to Alzheimer’s disease. How scary was that?

It was scary, and for everybody around me. As an actor, you’re just doing it. You’re not really worried because you know what’s going to happen. It’s just an enhancement on your belly. But when you see the scene, it just gives you this really shocking feel!

Equally scary is the scene in My Name Is Khan (2010) when your son dies. It still gives me goosebumps how you cried your heart out. Do you remember shooting that scene?

Yes, it gives me goosebumps too! It was visceral. I remember telling Karan (Johar, director), “I’m only going to give you one take. So you better have all your cameras lined up! Don’t ask me for close-ups or to do it again because I don’t think I can do it again. After the scene was over, I kept crying for another 10 minutes. Karan was also crying by the end of it. We were both hugging each other and crying. It took a while to subside.

In both We Are Family (2010) and Salaam Venky (2022), you have a star-crossed relationship with your kids. You know it’s not going to last long because either you’re ill or your son is. How difficult was it for you to translate that on screen?

In We Are Family, there are so many nuances and layers underneath. It was fun to play. Salaam Venky was my worst nightmare coming to life. You just can’t do anything. You just have to watch your child as he is. He has a wonderful personality and everything’s going for him, but you have to see all that go to waste and for him to die in front of you. I almost refused to do the film. I told Revathy (director), “I’m going to hear you out, but I’m going to say no.” Then of course, I went ahead and did the film because she’s such a fabulous director and I think I deserved her.

Enough of darkness. How much fun was it to play a helicopter mom in Helicopter Eela (2018)?

It was great fun! I definitely was a helicopter mom, but not anymore. My children have grown up and they’ll kill me if I try to be one. It’s natural for mothers, especially for single mothers who have that responsibility thrust onto them. Eela was a single mother. You’re so used to managing everything on your own, you don’t know where to draw the line as far as independence is concerned. That’s something I learnt from life, so it was easy for me to identify with Eela.

In Tribhanga (2021), you have your own mommy issues and you subconsciously end up doing the same deeds to your daughter that your mother did to you. How do you ensure in your life to not let your kids fall in the same patterns that you did?

You can’t stop certain things regardless of how much you try. But what you can do as a parent is give them different reasons to have therapy rather than have the same reasons you got therapy for. No, I’m just kidding. Today’s children are very different from how we are. My kids are far more informed and aware of the world than how I was. I had no clue what the world was about. But the world was also much safer then. Now, because of the internet, it’s a completely different world. So today’s children have to be brought up very differently. So we’ve tried to keep the changing world in mind and not be too rigid, but also not allow the change to make too much of a difference in our upbringing.

Everyone assumed your daughter is going to be an actor, but it’s your son Yug who’s got a headstart, right?

Yes, he’s dubbed in Hindi for Karate Kid: Legends, which he’s quite proud of. But he’s only 14 right now. I have seen only parts of the film. I’m yet to watch it in full.

Kajol with Nysa, Yug, and Ajay Devgn.

What have you learnt about motherhood from your mom, Tanuja?

The biggest learning I got from my mom was when she sat me down and told me you have to think for yourself, take responsibility for your actions, and live with the consequences, whatever they may be. Credit or discredit, both are yours. I hope I have made my children also understand that particular part of being an adult.

How different is your role as a mother in Maa than all the previous times you’ve played one?

It’s going to be very, very different. The world is very different. The circumstances are much more extreme as compared to anything I’ve played before as a mother. It’s one of those films that’s really challenged me as a person and as an actor, physically as well. But it’s also one of those films which have given me a lot of hope. It’s a film I’ll deeply appreciate forever.

Your first tryst with VFX and green screen was in Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020), where you had to light a diya on top of a castle, but all you could see was the green screen. Since there’s a lot of that in Maa, how challenging is it for a spontaneous actor like you?

The green screen doesn’t give you the space to improvise anything. You really have no choice in the matter. You have to look in a particular way, raise your hand in a particular way, your body language has to be a certain way. If you get a little leeway, you can improvise to a certain extent, but not much. It’s a very different way of working and performing altogether. It took a little while getting used to. Wrapping your head around it takes one or two days. And you need to have complete faith in your director. He needs to know what you’re doing because you definitely don’t.

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You take pride in being the queen of taking breaks. But this year, you have three releases — Maa, Sarzameen, and The Trial season 2, and then Maharagni: Queen of Queens next year. How did you manage that?

Ya, I was telling somebody that in the 34 years of my career, I’ve worked more in my 33rd year than I have in the last god knows how many years. It’s time for me to take a break, right? (Laughs). All of these came to me at around the same time, and I didn’t want to not do them just because of time constraints. I thoroughly enjoyed doing them and am very, very happy with everything that’s coming up.

Watch interview with Maa actor Kajol:

This year marks 30 years of your iconic film, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). How has the Kajol, who played Simran, changed over the years?

She’s grown exponentially. My life is pretty much out there on the internet. There’s nothing about it you haven’t seen. But yes, if Simran was a bud, I’m definitely a full-blown flower by now.

Maa is slated to release in cinemas on June 27.