My initial fears have gone away: Kajal

The actress reflects upon her journey so far, marriage, fitness, ‘Sardaar Gabbar Singh’ and dubbing for the first time

• I want to do a full-fledged comic role

In an industry where the shelf-life of an actress at the very top is less, Kajal Aggarwal comes across as one belonging to the rare breed that exemplifies longevity.

Call it survival instincts or whatever, the diva has braved the rough and tumble and competition from fellow-actresses to still remain a director’s favourite for delivering the goods. A job she has been performing with aplomb for close to nine years not just in Tollywood but even in Kollywood where she is still a top draw. Come to think of it, the girl is from Mumbai!

Reflecting on her ‘amazing’ journey during an exclusive interaction with CityTab, Kajal is candidly pragmatic. “I’ve learnt a lot… gone through lots of ups and downs, grown as an actor and, more importantly, as a person. It feels fabulous; it doesn’t feel like it’s been nine years; time has just flown by.”

Did she at any point in time feel like, ‘well this is not happening. Let me move over to Mumbai lock, stock and barrel’?
She responds after a long pause, “I never really moved out of Mumbai. Yes, of course, there was a phase where I felt that this was perhaps not what I had bargained for when I opted for a career in movies. But that was in the initial stages of my career. In fact, I was unsure about doing the first five films.

So every time I’d sign a movie I was like, ‘okay may be this will be my last movie.’ I felt that way because I had other dreams. I feel I have become an actress almost by accident. I wanted to do other things in my life but with each new film, my resolution for cementing my film career got furthered strengthened, which, in course of time, made me realise that I was meant for films.”

After SS Rajamouli’s ‘Magadheera’, her stock has further skyrocketed as she was approached by one big production house after another. Soon her appeal penetrated into Tamil and Hindi industry where she romanced the likes of Ajay Devgn, Vijay, Akshay Kumar, Suriya and Karthi.

The ‘artiste’ in her erupted when pointed out at the presumption that she only accepts ‘star’ films where experimentation had limited scope. “That’s not true. I feel every actor is a star in his/her own individual way. I’ve worked with everyone in Tollywood, so it’s not like I’ve featured only in big banner films. For me, what mattered always was the story and the role I portray.”

Does she feel she has done powerful roles?
“Yes, of course I have. ‘Mr Perfect’ was a powerful role. And what do you mean by a powerful role. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to hold a sword and kill people. Subtlety can be a potently powerful weapon.

My roles have been powerful. It’s just that every actor fits into a certain type. If I’ve go to the battlefield, people will not be able to identify with it because they’ve seen me as a docile princess in ‘Magadheera’. So, if I was to suddenly become Rudhramadevi, no one will be able to relate to it,” she hits back.

Barring being linked to Prabhas and Ram in the second half of last decade, Kajal managed to stay away from controversies and link-ups. Does she miss being in tabloids for such reports? “I don’t want such ‘juicy’ news about me. I’d rather let my work to be newsworthy. Moreover, I don’t have the time for a relationship. I’m happy with my work and I’m completely committed to it,” she exults.

Nonetheless, she believes in the institution of marriage. “It is ingrained in our system and I believe it is for life. When I find my Mr Right I’m going to give it my all.” Will she continue to act after marriage? “Honestly, I don’t know. It depends on who I will be with,” is the down-to-earth statement.

While many feel that Kajal has made right career choices to be where she is, surprisingly, she points out that she has never planned her career. “I’ve never strategised my career. I’ve been very instinctive; if I feel something is right I go ahead with it. I’m happy where I’m right now and when directors approach me saying they’ve written a role keeping me in mind, I feel my hard work has paid-off.

Moving forward, I wish to experiment in comedy and action. I love comedy. I want to do a full-fledged comic role,” she points out in a matter-of-fact tone. Kajal’s success can be attributed to her fitness. Always in fine shape, she strikes a balance among cardio, weight training and a lot of stretching to stay fit.

“Whenever I get free time, I do yoga. I go for a balanced diet comprising of proteins, carbs and fibre. I have a massive sweet tooth and sugar is my weakness but then I shed excess calories by working out.”

The actress is presently awaiting the release of ‘Sardaar Gabbar Singh’ in which she is cast opposite Pawan Kalyan. Mention about joining forces with Pawan at last, she lights up like a 1,000-watt bulb.

“I wanted to work with him since the day I entered the industry but it’s just that I couldn’t accommodate a few projects of his earlier because of dates.”
For the first time in her career, she is also dubbing for her part in ‘Sardaar Gabbar Singh’.

Insisting that it was her idea to dub, she states, “It’s coming out great and the experience has been amazing. I’m required to speak in pure Telugu for the role. I’m sure it will only get better with time.”