At sixteen, Kajol began work on Rahul Rawail's Bekhudi, which according to her was a "big dose of luck" she was cast by him when she visited the studio of the photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha, who also wrote the film's screenplay. However, the project was shelved after a few days of shooting. In the early 1990s, Tanuja tried to direct a film to launched her as an actress. It was in school that she began to form an active interest in reading fiction, as it helped her "through the bad moments" in her life. Apart from her studies, she participated in extra-curricular activities, such as dancing. Kajol was educated at a boarding school, St.
Growing up between two separate cultures, she inherited her " Maharashtrian pragmatism" from her mother and her "Bengali temperament" from her father. According to Kajol, her mother inculcated a sense of independence in her since she was young. Kajol was looked after by her maternal grandmother, who "never let me feel that my mother was away and working". Her parents separated when she was young but Tanuja said that Kajol was not affected by the split as they never talked about the matter. Kajol describes herself as being "extremely mischievous" as a child, as well as stubborn and impulsive from a young age. Kajol's cousins Rani Mukerji, Sharbani Mukherjee, and Mohnish Behl are also Bollywood actors whereas Ayan Mukerji is a director. Her paternal uncles, Joy Mukherjee and Deb Mukherjee, are film producers, while her paternal and maternal grandfathers, Sashadhar Mukherjee and Kumarsen Samarth, respectively, were filmmakers. Her maternal aunt was actress Nutan and her maternal grandmother, Shobhna Samarth, and great-grandmother, Rattan Bai, were both involved in Hindi cinema. Her younger sister, Tanishaa, is also an actress. Her mother, Tanuja, is an actress, while her father Shomu Mukherjee was a film director and producer. Kajol was born in Bombay (present-day Mumbai) on 5 August 1974. With her mother Tanuja (centre) and sister Tanishaa (right) at actress Esha Deol's wedding reception in 2012 Kajol has been married to the actor and filmmaker Ajay Devgn, with whom she has two children, since 1999.
She has featured as a talent judge for the reality show Rock-N-Roll Family in 2008, and holds a managerial position at Devgn Entertainment and Software Ltd. In addition to acting in films, Kajol is a social activist and noted for her work with widows and children. Kajol's highest-grossing release came with the period film Tanhaji in 2020. Her performances in Fanaa and My Name is Khan earned her two more Best Actress awards at Filmfare. Following a successful comeback with the romantic thriller Fanaa (2006), she played leading roles in such films as U Me Aur Hum (2008), We Are Family (2010), My Name Is Khan (2010), and Dilwale (2015). in 2001, which won her a third Filmfare Award, Kajol took a sabbatical from full-time acting and would continue working infrequently over the next two decades. Although her career was further established during this period by financially profitable family dramas, it was her portrayal of a psychopathic killer in Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997) and an avenger in Dushman (1998) that earned her greater critical appreciation.Īfter shooting for Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Following a breakthrough role in Yeh Dillagi (1994), she featured with Khan in several blockbusters, including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), both of which gained her wide public recognition and two Filmfare Awards in the Best Actress category. She subsequently quit her studies, and had her first commercial success with Baazigar (1993), opposite Shah Rukh Khan. The daughter of Tanuja and Shomu Mukherjee, Kajol made her acting debut with Bekhudi (1992), while still in school. In 2011, she was honoured with Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour of the country, by the Government of India.
Described in the media as one of the most successful actresses of Hindi cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Filmfare Awards, among which she holds the record for most Best Actress awards previously set by her late aunt Nutan.
Kajol Devgn (née Mukherjee born 5 August 1974), known mononymously as Kajol, is an Indian film actress.