Journalism of Courage
Having won hearts with her heart-warming performances onscreen, Kajol has certainly come a long way from the vivacious actress who cared two hoots about her look to the stylish and mature mother of two. Not only has she become a major fashion icon, but the actress has fans eagerly awaiting her return to the silver screen, which will be sooner rather than later since Kajol is already shooting for her comeback film, 'Dilwale' with the one and only Shah Rukh Khan. As she turns 41 today, we remember some of her best Bollywood moments.
Baazigar: It was ‘Baazigar’ that actually made people sit up and take note of the rising star. Kajol starred opposite Shah Rukh Khan for the first time in Abbas-Mustan’s thriller flick ‘Baazigar’ where she played the role of a woman who falls in love with her sister’s killer. Also starring Shilpa Shetty, the film was a huge hit.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge: In 1995, Kajol starred in Aditya Chopra’s ‘Dilwale Dulhainia Le Jayenge’ once again playing Shah Rukh Khan’s love interest. Not only did the film turn out to be a massive commercial blockbuster, but is known to be one of the most successful films in Bollywood. Kajol’s role of Simran, a young Indian girl who falls in love against her father’s wishes earned her the Filmfare Award for best actress.
Gupt: The Hidden Truth: Kajol portrayed a different side to her when she played a negative role in Rajiv Rai’s ‘Gupt’ along with Bobby Deol and Manisha Koirala. Through her performance, Kajol gave fans and critics alike a peep into her versatility and earned herself the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in a negative role.
Ishq: Another notable film of the actress’ is comedy-drama ‘Ishq’. Kajol was paired opposite husband Ajay Devgn. Directed by Indra Kumar, the film also starred Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla. The film that saw Kajol play a middle-class girl in love with a rich boy turned out to be a big hit.
Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya: In 1998, Kajol shared screen space with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan in Sohail Khan’s rom-com ‘Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya’. Her role of an orphan girl who travels to the big city only to fall in love won the hearts of fans. The film also starred Dharmendra, Arbaaz Khan and Kiran Kumar.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: Karan Johar’s romance drama once again showed Kajol’s versatility. Based on a love triangle between Kajol reunited with Shah Rukh on big screen. The film had Kajol playing the tomboy in the first half with her sporty avatar and short hair and the second half had the actress playing a beautiful desi girl who’s grown up and ready to embrace marriage and children. The film was a massive hit and earned a worldwide gross of Rs 1 billion.
Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha: Kajol reunited with husband Ajay Devgn in 1998 for Anees Bazmee’s ‘Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha’ which was a remake of the Hollywood flick ‘French Kiss’. Her portrayal of Sanjana, a woman who travels to Paris in search of her fiancé earned Kajol a Filmfare Best Actress nomination.
Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham: Kajol was also a part of Karan Johar’s multi-starrer ‘Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham’ along with Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor. Her role as Anjali Sharma, a young Punjabi woman got Kajol the Filmfare Award for best actress. And SRK-Kajol fans were happy to see their Raj and Simran back on screen.
Fanaa: After a hiatus of about six years, Kajol made a hard-hitting comeback in Kunal Kohli’s ‘Fanaa’ opposite Bollywood talent Aamir Khan. The actress played the role of a blind Kashmiri woman who falls in love with a terrorist. The Yash Raj flick was well received by fans and critics. Kajol was awarded with Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
My Name is Khan: Karan Johar once again proved lucky for Kajol when she starred opposite Shah Rukh Khan for yet another film, ‘My Name Is Khan’. Kajol played the role of Mandira, an Indian woman who marries a Muslim man in America. The film beautifully portrayed the struggles and discrimination that the Khan family had to deal with post the 9/11 attacks. That year, Kajol received the Filmfare award for best actress. It was her last film with SRK.
She is now making a comeback with him again in Dilwale.
