It was the year 1992 when Kajol entered the Hindi film industry with her debut movie, Bekhudi. Since the 90s era, Kajol has been ruling in our hearts with her impeccable performances in films. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham are some of her classic movies that she has entertained us with. Kajol recently completed three decades in Bollywood.
On 30 years of Kajol, we bring you her 8 iconic roles that made us her fan till eternity. Girl-next-door, loud mouth, tomboy, serial killer, or independent woman, Kajol performed everything with excellence.
So, let’s take you to her journey:
1. Simran in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ)
Simran from DDLJ remains Kajol’s one of the iconic characters till date. From dreaming about an ideal man in a conservative family to taking a stand for her love, Raj, and finally boarding a train with him, Kajol as Simran was both a dreamer and fighter. And who could have performed the towel dance in Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye better than Kajol? Also bauji mujhe jaane dijiye dialogue in climax without Kajol? I can’t imagine.
2. Priya in Baazigar
Kajol as Priya, the girl next door in Baazigar, subtly balanced film’s revenge storyline with her innocence. Kajol’s chemistry with her co-star Shah Rukh Khan was quite appreciated by the audience. Not just in DDLJ, Kajol was a dreamer in Baazigar too. (Baazigar O Baazigar playing in my head right now). However, this time, she fell in love with a killer. Yeh Kaali-Kaali Aankhein couldn’t be the same without Kajol either.
3. Isha in Gupt
This list won’t justice to Kajol’s filmography if we do not include her antagonist role in Gupt. Kajol as Isha, an obsessive lover-turned-serial killer in the 1997 movie, proved that she is more than just a heroine. Kajol became India’s first actress to win the Filmfare award for her best performance in a negative role in Gupt. In an interview with PTI, here’s what Kajol had said about picking up such role back in the 90s:
It was gutsy at that time to do it. It’s the story and role that’s what really got me to do it.
-Kajol
4. Sonia/Naina in Dushman
Kajol experimented with double roles in psychological thriller, Dushman. She played identical twins, Sonia and Naina, in the 1998 film. While Sonia was an extrovert, outgoing, and fun girl, Naina was an introvert and shy one. Kajol aced both the personalities in Dushman and added another feather to her cap in terms of versatile acting.
5. Anjali in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
Be it tomboyish girl or sanskaari-naari, Kajol as Anjali in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai played two poles-apart personalities quite well. In the first half, Anjali was way too annoying as a tomboy but became a mature lady in the second half. Kajol as Anjali grabbed the limelight throughout the film even after getting friend-zoned. Anjali sacrificed her love for the sake of friendship and also broke the stereotype of ladkiyaan basketball nahin khel sakti. Meanwhile, do you know that the actress suffered memory loss while shooting a sequence of song Yeh Ladka Hai Deewana?
6. Anjali in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (K3G)
Another Anjali in Kajol’s filmography that remains iconic is her character from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. In the film, Kajol as Anjali was a loud mouth with no filters whatsoever. From being a clumsy yet fun girl from Chandni Chowk to marrying a guy from Raichand parivaar and later raising her own family in London, we watched Anjali go through all these phases. And who can forget Kajol’s hilarious dialogues like ‘Tussi Bade Majaki Ho’ and ‘Well! Hello, Mrs. Sprightly’ which turned iconic over the years? Also, her expressions in every scene were on point. Can’t blame Rahul for falling in love with such fun woman.
7. Zooni in Fanaa
Kajol didn’t let herself get typecast for her roles in Hindi cinema. In Fanaa, Kajol played the role of Zooni, a blind woman from Kashmir, who travels to Delhi to perform dance on Republic Day. Even when the dialogues weren’t required, Kajol as Zooni was a treat to watch ‘coz she let her eyes do the talking. And my gawd, how beautiful she looked in this film. Kajol’s chemistry with her co-star Aamir Khan received positive responses from the audience. In fact, it was Aamir who suggested the makers to cast Kajol as Zoohi despite having differences.
8. Mandira in My Name Is Khan
In My Name Is Khan, Kajol played the role of Mandira Rathore (later Khan), an independent single mother who works as a hairdresser. Mandira marries Shah Rukh Khan’s character Rizwan Khan, who is a Muslim. Kajol didn’t lose her charm while sharing the screen space with SRK after a long gap in this critically-acclaimed film. Their proposal scene was one of the highlights in My Name Is Khan. Apart from acting, Kajol as Mandira looked way too stunning.
Even the actress loved Mandira as a character. Her Instagram post is proof.
While there are many other roles from Kajol’s filmography that we like including Sanjana in Pyaar Toh Hona Hi Thaa and Muskaan in Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, we hope you enjoyed reading the aforementioned ones. Kajol was last seen in Tribhanga, a 2021 Netflix film. Cheers to Kajol for completing 30 years.