Kajol Devgan, Mukherjee, (Bengali: কাজল দেবগন) popularly known as Kajol, is an Indian film actress appearing in Hindi films. She is regarded as one of India's most successful and talented female actors.
Kajol made her acting debut in the film Bekhudi (1992) and had her first commercial success with her second film Baazigar (1993) opposite Shahrukh Khan, with whom she would act in such popular movies as Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and My Name is Khan (2010). Her performances in all four of these films were praised and earned her Filmfare Awards for Best Actress.
After shooting for Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in 2001, she took a sabbatical from full-time acting for five years. She made a comeback with Kunal Kohli's Fanaa (2006), for which she received another Best Actress Award at the Filmfare. Along with her late aunt Nutan, Kajol holds the record for most Best Actress wins at the Filmfare Awards, with five. In 2011, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri for her contribution to Indian Cinema. She is married to fellow Indian actor Ajay Devgn.
2006. Kajol's role was that of Anjali, a young Punjabi woman from Delhi's market Chandni Chowk, who falls for the rich Rahul, played by Shahrukh Khan. Her comic-dramatic performance won her several awards, including her third Filmfare Best Actress Award and her second Star Screen Award for Best Actress. Critic Taran Adarsh wrote of her performance in the film, "Kajol is first-rate in the role of a typical Chandni Chowk lass. Her Punjabi dialect will win her immense praise."[20] The Hindu wrote, "Kajol -- in only her second appearance this year, the first one being in a double role in ``Kajol ... steals the thunder from under very high noses indeed. With her precise timing and subtle lingering expression, she is a delight all the way."[21] This was Kajol's last collaboration with Khan until they would be cast again by Johar as a lead pair in early 2010.
Following the success of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kajol took a sabbatical from full-time acting for five years. She gave birth to her daughter Nysa in 2003. She made a successful comeback in 2006 with Kunal Kohli's drama Fanaa, one of the highest grossing films of the year. Portraying a blind Kashmiri girl who falls in love with a Kashmiri terrorist (played by Aamir Khan) in the film, she won her fourth Filmfare Best Actress Award.
U, Me aur Hum, which released on 11 April 2008, marked her husband Ajay Devgan's directorial debut. For her performance in the film, she received her tenth Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination. Raja Sen wrote in his review, "... Kajol ... can span through happy-breezy with her eyes closed, and so the first half doesn't even pose her a challenge, but when Alzheimer's strikes Piya and she begins to forget all that matters in her life, Kajol raises the bar strikingly high."
Kajol was recently seen alongside Shahrukh Khan in Karan Johar's drama My Name Is Khan, which is based on a true story, against the backdrop of perceptions on Islam post 11 September. Filming commenced in December 2008 in Los Angeles and ended in October 2009. Upon release, the film received positive reviews from critics and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time in the overseas market. Kajol's portrayal of a single mother who marries a Muslim autistic man was well-received, with Rajeev Masand writing, "Bringing emotional depth to what is essentially Rizwan's story, Kajol is immensely likeable as Mandira, using her eyes to convey volumes, topping the performance off with a powerful breakdown scene that literally puts her through the wringer." Kajol won her fifth Best Actress award at the Filmfare, a record which she shares with her late aunt, actress Nutan.
She next starred alongside Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in We Are Family, an Indian adaptation of the Hollywood movie Stepmom (1998). Directed by Siddharth Malhotra, Hindustan Times critic Mayank Shekhar stated, "The premise is stuff dry tissues are made for. Yet, the pathos here is produced not from moments, but from performances alone: a stunning Kajol’s in particular. She appears superior to Susan Sarandon, I suspect." Her next film, Toonpur Ka Superhero, a live-action/animated film, was released in December 2010.
Kajol made her acting debut in the film Bekhudi (1992) and had her first commercial success with her second film Baazigar (1993) opposite Shahrukh Khan, with whom she would act in such popular movies as Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and My Name is Khan (2010). Her performances in all four of these films were praised and earned her Filmfare Awards for Best Actress.
2006. Kajol's role was that of Anjali, a young Punjabi woman from Delhi's market Chandni Chowk, who falls for the rich Rahul, played by Shahrukh Khan. Her comic-dramatic performance won her several awards, including her third Filmfare Best Actress Award and her second Star Screen Award for Best Actress. Critic Taran Adarsh wrote of her performance in the film, "Kajol is first-rate in the role of a typical Chandni Chowk lass. Her Punjabi dialect will win her immense praise."[20] The Hindu wrote, "Kajol -- in only her second appearance this year, the first one being in a double role in ``Kajol ... steals the thunder from under very high noses indeed. With her precise timing and subtle lingering expression, she is a delight all the way."[21] This was Kajol's last collaboration with Khan until they would be cast again by Johar as a lead pair in early 2010.
Following the success of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kajol took a sabbatical from full-time acting for five years. She gave birth to her daughter Nysa in 2003. She made a successful comeback in 2006 with Kunal Kohli's drama Fanaa, one of the highest grossing films of the year. Portraying a blind Kashmiri girl who falls in love with a Kashmiri terrorist (played by Aamir Khan) in the film, she won her fourth Filmfare Best Actress Award.
U, Me aur Hum, which released on 11 April 2008, marked her husband Ajay Devgan's directorial debut. For her performance in the film, she received her tenth Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination. Raja Sen wrote in his review, "... Kajol ... can span through happy-breezy with her eyes closed, and so the first half doesn't even pose her a challenge, but when Alzheimer's strikes Piya and she begins to forget all that matters in her life, Kajol raises the bar strikingly high."
Kajol was recently seen alongside Shahrukh Khan in Karan Johar's drama My Name Is Khan, which is based on a true story, against the backdrop of perceptions on Islam post 11 September. Filming commenced in December 2008 in Los Angeles and ended in October 2009. Upon release, the film received positive reviews from critics and became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time in the overseas market. Kajol's portrayal of a single mother who marries a Muslim autistic man was well-received, with Rajeev Masand writing, "Bringing emotional depth to what is essentially Rizwan's story, Kajol is immensely likeable as Mandira, using her eyes to convey volumes, topping the performance off with a powerful breakdown scene that literally puts her through the wringer." Kajol won her fifth Best Actress award at the Filmfare, a record which she shares with her late aunt, actress Nutan.
She next starred alongside Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in We Are Family, an Indian adaptation of the Hollywood movie Stepmom (1998). Directed by Siddharth Malhotra, Hindustan Times critic Mayank Shekhar stated, "The premise is stuff dry tissues are made for. Yet, the pathos here is produced not from moments, but from performances alone: a stunning Kajol’s in particular. She appears superior to Susan Sarandon, I suspect." Her next film, Toonpur Ka Superhero, a live-action/animated film, was released in December 2010.
