The girl next door
However, fortune smiled at Kajol. Ace lensman, Gautam Rajadhyaksha, a long time family friend, chose to cast her in his first production. Since she was not overly interested in studies, she accepted the offer--merely to test the waters. And thus Bekhudi was born. The film didn't set the box office on fire. However, Kajol stole the thunder with her effervescence.
Needless to say, she was flooded with offersa departure from the norm in Mumbai where actors are written off after a flop. But Kajol won favour with the directors because of her unfilmi characterisations. Then came producer Abbas Mustan's Baazigar with Kajol and Shahrukh Khan in the lead roles. The film won popularity all over the country. The film also saw the emergence of a new hit pair Shahrukh and Kajol whose onscreen chemistry endeared them to the masses overnight. So much so that people began comparing their sizzling song and dance sequences to those of Raj Kapoor-Nargis and Dharmendra-Hema Malini.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Then came Yeh Dillagi, a light romance with Saif and Akshay Kumar, Hulchul with Ajay Devgan, Udhar Ki Zindagi (where she played Jeetendra's granddaughter) and Karan Arjun with Shahrukh again.
These films were followed by a string of hits: Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge (1995), Ishq and Gupt (1997). And who cannot recall her sterling performance in Kuch kuch hota hai, made by childhood friend, Karan Johar, with her best costar, Shahrukh and her cousin, Rani Mukherjee. Around this time her personal life too gathered momentum. Her romance with costar Ajay Devgan culminated in a quiet wedding.
Kajol is now busy with the couple's in-house production company and a portal. Kajol, as one of the creative directors, has her hands full with the enterprise. The production firm has spawned cinematic works such as Raju Chahca (where she teams up with hubby Ajay) and Rahul Rawail's Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi (opposite Sunil Shetty), and the mega star studded film, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, with Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shahrukh, Kareena and Hrithik Roshan.
Director Kunal Kohli has also announced a movie starring Kajol opposite Aamir Khan called Fanah (Destruction).
Compiled by Cultural Correspondent