Kajol's Birthday: A Look At How Her Characters Evolved Over Years

Kajol, who was born on this day, debuted in the Hindi film industry with Bekhudi in 1992, and she has since captivated countless Bollywood admirers. The actor has played a number of parts that have simultaneously brought viewers to tears and smiles, including Anjali Sharma in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and the heartbroken Mandira in My Name Is Khan. It is challenging to choose her best performances even now, 30 years later, as she continues to captivate us in every part.

Kajol took a break from full-time acting after appearing in the family drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), which earned her a third Filmfare Award. She continued to perform sparingly throughout the following decades. She received two additional Best Actress nominations at Filmfare for her performances in the drama My Name Is Khan (2010) and the romantic thriller Fanaa (2006). Her highest-earning films were the period drama Tanhaji (2015) and the drama Dilwale. 

On Kajol's Birthday, Revisiting Her Characters

In 1995, Kajol co-starred in the box office hits Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Karan Arjun with Shah Rukh Khan. Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan played non-resident Indians from London who falls in love while travelling through Europe and then reconnects in India to convince their strict father to postpone her impending arranged marriage.

Kajol discussed her commitment to the production and her deep emotional connection to her Simran character. It has been playing constantly at a Mumbai theatre and, after surpassing 1000 weeks of screening in 2014, it became the longest-running Indian film ever. It is one of the most popular movies of all time in India. The movie was equally well-liked by reviewers and won eleven Filmfare Awards, including Kajol's maiden win for Best Actress.

Negative Role 

Critics hailed Kajol's performance of Isha Diwan in Gupt: The Hidden Truth, a psychopathic serial killer who was once an obsessive lover, as a turning point in 1997. Rajiv Rai, the film's director, praised Kajol for the elegance she provided to the role and claimed that he used her for her versatility as an artist. The suspenseful movie, which also starred Bobby Deol and Manisha Koirala, was well-liked. The Times of India stated in 2016 that Kajol was perhaps the first to have broken her goody-two-shoes image, while India Today remarked that she was outperforming her co-stars. The Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role was eventually given to Kajol, who did so as the first female actor to be nominated for and win the honour.

Kajol In Suspense Dramas

Tanuja Chandra's 1998 psychological suspense film Dushman has some rough similarities to the Hollywood film Eye for an Eye. In the film, Kajol portrays the twin sisters Naina and Sonia in a dual role. For her performance in the film, Kajol received favourable reviews and a nomination for a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Gokul, a vicious killer and rapist, brutally kills and rapes Sonia, and Naina, Sonia's twin sister, plans to get back at him. In addition, she undergoes rigorous training and seeks assistance to overcome her dread of the killer. She ultimately makes the courageous decision to hunt out the murderer by herself.

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Helicopter Eela

In the Pradeep Sarkar-directed film Helicopter Eela, Kajol also portrays the unusual character of an overbearing single mother. The film follows the life of Kajol's character Eela. Eela is on the climb to stardom as a model and singer, but she chooses to wed her fiancé, Arun. After a few months, she gives birth to Vivan, a boy. The couple tragically learns that many of its male family members of Arun passed away in their late 30s. Arun is extremely troubled by this, abandons Eela and Vivan to pursue his goals, and eventually passes away. Eela develops a fierce sense of protectiveness for her kid, whom she worries will suffer the same fate as his father.