Kajol

Yesteryears' actress Tanuja may not have reached Mumbai's stellar skyline, as far as her popularity was concerned, but she had elegance, style and piquancy that very few actresses of her times possessed.

It is that style, class and piquancy that sets apart daughter Kajol from the rest of her contemporaries.

Born to the producer-actress duo of Shomu Mukherjee and Tanuja on August 5, 1975, Kajol grew up in an influential setting. Her father and uncles ruled in the arena of producing films and her mother, Tanuja, aunt Nutan and grandmother Shobhana Samarth were established actresses par excellence.

Her childhood, with sister Tanisha, was very normal and healthy. There was no dearth of happiness. 'We had toys, outings, studies, everything we could ask for' revealed the actress in an interview. Though in her growing up years she saw her parents split, it did not really affect her, she says.

Kajol took up films more as a hobby pursuit than a career choice. Rooted firmly in a family of film people, Kajol has strong financial support. Therefore, the actress was fortunate to never having to compromise on the kind of films she wanted to do for the sake of money.

The pre-requisites of a Bollywood actress, like a light complexion, dancing abilities, a slim and slender silhouette, chiseled features, all this Kajol did not enjoy. But she was an individual who did not fear to voice her thoughts and opinions, had loads of confidence, and oozed talent.

Kajol stepped into filmdom with Rahul Rawaail as her director and Kamal Sadaana as her co-star in a film titled Bekhudi. The film flopped but Kajol's draw continued to rise. Yeh Dillagi established her credentials as an actress. Her performance in the film made people sit up and notice the spontaneity and confidence she oozed.

There was no looking back. Hits or flops, Kajol remained unaffected. With every passing day her order rose and she became a star. She was probably the only star after Hema Malini who could carry an entire film on her shoulders, the only actress in the recent crop on whom distributors and producers could bank on for returns.

At the peak of her career, in her usual carefree approach to making decisions in life, she decided to tie the nuptial knot and move away from the camera for sometime. Not even once did the thought of the consequences marriage could mean to her career irk her. She was in love and wanted to marry. It was that simple.

Kajol is back from her sabbatical and ready for work. But she is sure of one thing. That her schedules are going to be relaxed. Remember she treats films as a leisure pursuit, not a medium for money. That she in any case has plenty. Plus there are hubby Ajay Devgan's production company, a dotcom enterprise and a distribution company.

In future, Kajol will be seen in projects of her home production company and in a select few ventures from outside. One film of Kajol's that is being talked about a lot is Sridevi and Boney Kapoor's untitled film with Shah Rukh in the male lead.