Kajal Aggarwal began her career a decade back and today she is one of the A-list actresses, who is striving to give her best after best.
The 31-year-old actress is clearly heading towards the right path with her headstrong attitude, hard work and determination. She is funny, articulate and is vocal about her opinions. 2017 has been extremely kind to her and two of her films that released (in Telugu), became blockbuster hits. While the actress is overwhelmed with the love people are showering for her performance in Vivegam, which graced the screens on August 24, she is gearing up for greater things in life and career.
In a casual chat with DC, Kajal, in her usual effervescent self, talks about Vivegam, Mersal and her upcoming flicks. Excerpts from the interview:
Vivegam — A film close to heart
I loved my character Yazhini so much and the thought of working with a seasoned actor like Ajith, director Siva and the team excited me. For me, the driving factor has always been the script and in that way, Vivegam’s was excellent. Each and every character is well-defined and I absolutely love my part.
Finding Yazhini in Kajal
I could connect with Yazhini on some level. She is a very strong woman of substance. I could relate myself with her calmness and serenity. Working in sub-zero temperatures tested us and moreover, I was mostly wearing cotton and linen sarees! In the hindsight, it was a fabulous experience, but during shooting, we were dying! (laughs)
Glamming up for comfort
For Vivegam, Anu Vardhan did my styling and she has done a wonderful job. Yazhini is a very artsy person living abroad and she is very Indian in her thoughts and mannerisms. We didn’t want to go with regular sarees and went with an aesthetic and classy look. For my red carpet and other looks, comfort is the key. I go for looks that I would be able to do justice to.
Being critical
I would call Nene Raju Nene Mantri as one of my better films till date and I’m extremely critical of myself. I usually go by what I see and I always feel I can do better. I was happy and grateful for the response — both audiences and media people unanimously liked our performance. It’s one of my nicer roles and I had a great character to play.
Mersal Magic
My role is opposite to what I had played in Vivegam. I play a contemporary modern doctor. It’s multi-starrer and I have been part of so many films of such stature – I’m always up for multi-starrers, be it Tamil or Telugu.
Upcoming flicks
I’m doing Queen’s Tamil remake. We start shooting in October in Madurai. The overseas portions will be shot in London, Paris and Amsterdam. I’m also doing a Telugu movie titled MLA with Kalyan Ram.
Bollywood calling?
Unfortunately, I haven’t had time to concentrate on Hindi flicks till now. But in the future, I will.
Favourite Books and series
I love Chitra Divakaruni’s works. Right now, I’m reading Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari and it’s very interesting. Coming to TV series, I just finished watching The Crown and I’m on to the new season of Game of Thrones!
Actors are influencers
A hero or a heroine is in no way responsible for their fan’s abusive behaviour. At the end of the day, one can’t control what other people think or do. We act responsibly, trying to be the best influence we can, by putting in our blood and sweat. However, we can talk about and try to influence them, but that’s the maximum we can do. Both Vijay and Ajith are nice human beings and they would never endorse trolling and abuse.
Marriage on the cards?
Again? With whom? This is news to me. I think I live in another world in my own bubble. (laughs)
