Kajol has been one of those rare breed of actresses who has a fan following that few enjoy. What makes her special is her immense confidence in her talent, her outspoken nature and ability to give competition to her juniors till date. The actress, who dominated Bollywood on her own terms, talks to Pinkvilla on the choices she makes, her take on Gennext actors, her husband Ajay and of course, her all time favourite co-star and buddy, Shah Rukh Khan.
What is an emotional and beautiful actress like you doing in a movie with flying cars, car chase and high octane action sequences?
(Laughs uproariously) Well, it is definitely unpredictable, isn’t it? You are asking me that question that in itself shows that it was unpredictable. I wanted to do something different, I wanted to do something that is out of my comfort zone. I wanted to do something that I had not done before, so this film definitely had all those ingredients put together. I wanted to work with people I had not worked with before, so I pulled out of my comfort zone in a very comfortable way though.
With your buddy Shah Rukh in it must have got you more interested?
Definitely. I think it has to be everything. It can’t be just one thing. It can’t be just the script, or only the character. But the predominant and overriding reasons are script and character. That is really very important. Of course, it has to have a good director, it has to have a good producer, it has to have a good co-star along with it. That all put together makes a fit film for me to do. I like working with Shah Rukh, he likes working with me. The most we can say is that I hope when we work together, we work well.
You and Shah Rukh keep coming back together after regular intervals. Is it that both of you start from where you left, or you have to start from scratch and build that chemistry again?
We never start from scratch, we have been friends for a long time and we have worked together in lot of films. The first day shoot of this film, for instance, there was never an awkward silence or uncomfortable feeling. It is a very, very comfortable feeling working with Shah Rukh and he strives to make so as well.
Both of you are coming back together after five years, did you notice any change in him?
The great thing about Shah Rukh whenever I work with him is that I am always shocked at how passionate and how interested he is in his character, in his films, his persona in his acting. I am always impressed by it. I have done 25 to 30 films in my career and he must have done close to 200 films but he is still so passionate. He is full of ideas – 'Let’s do the shot like this or like that'. I always find that amazing about him.
Two of your co-stars –Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon are the Gennext actors. How was it working with them, what are your thoughts when you compare it with the time you stepped into the industry?
Both,Varun and Kriti are very sorted, they are very well put together. They definitely know where they are going, which was nothing that one would say about us when we were newcomers. We had absolutely no clue of what we were doing. We were like, ‘Arre, kaam karo, movie sign karo, khatam karo aur uske baad we didn’t know how the film was doing, how it fared at the box office, or what we were going to do next. So I think, yes, they have very clear idea of what they want to do, how they want to present themselves, what they want to say and that why they were here. I think they are much more sorted than we were.
Kajol, we know you of some one who likes being natural, hates doing make-up, dressing up...have you changed over the years?
I have changed over the years, but I am still very casual. I still believe that comfort is best. I still live in my pajamas and there are days I don’t get off my pajamas, there are days when you see me outside in pajamas as well. But these days pajamas have become fashionable so I mean, what the hell.
What is Ajay’s take on you doing this film?
He was very very supportive when I was approached for the film. In fact, I was hesitant to do the film because there were so many outdoors but he was one of the main people who turned around and told me, ‘Baby don’t worry...I know you are worried about the kids, about the outdoors...we will handle it, I will manage it at home’. I thought that was absolutely wonderful on his part. That is true love, really.
So is it because you have to manage family that it took you so long to come back?
Yes, I had a baby, not that I went on a party hopping trip. I wanted to take time out with my kids. I wanted to take time out with my daughter and son which I did and which was necessary. If I want to do a film, I want to do because I want to be there not because I am forcing myself to be there. It's not that, 'Oh, I have not worked and therefore I must sign a film, it is not that'. Fortunately, I am financially stable to make that choice. Why not take advantage of it.
Do your kids remind you and Ajay of something about your childhood?
I think my daughter Nysa looks like my husband, her temperament is lot like Ajay's, but yes, she has got me as her mother (laughs).
You seem to be in an absolute comfort zone when you are working with Shah Rukh. Read somewhere that you never hesitate to say whatever you want to in front of him...
There is no hesitation, from my side there was never any hesitation right from the beginning. I am a pretty open person and I have always spoken my mind. There is rarely a filter in my throat to stop my brain. He is the same pretty much. He is very comfortable talking, I don’t think you can stop him once he gets started. We have been friends, we have now shot seven films together. When you sit on a film set and work together for 100-150 days, it is a very different kind of bonding.
What is that quality in Shah Rukh that women find him so charming and what is it in you that men find you so irresistible?
What people find absolutely wonderful about Shah Rukh is that he is interested in people, he wants to know. When he asks a question, he waits for the reply. And, of course, he is the biggest flirt on the face of the earth because I think he wants all the women to fall in love with him (bursts into laughter). He genuinely wants women to do that and he really works very hard at it. Women go gaga over him and they are like, ‘Oh, he’s sooooo cute’, he has that ability in him. Honestly, I don’t know what attracts men towards me. I think you must ask Shah Rukh about this (has a hearty laugh).
Entertainment:
Entertainment Source:
Pinkvilla