Kajol is enjoying her new chapter in the digital medium and finds it fascinating how women are portrayed on TV as the culture evolves. Instead of going to movies on the big screen, she prefers to use the internet. Because of the encouragement she received from others around her, she has defied convention and tried out several characters. Kajol is pleased to see more women working on sets and thinks the film industry is a great environment for cultural change to evolve and be incorporated.
Kajol is pursuing a new phase in her career with a particular focus on digital media, and her consecutive appearances in the web anthology Lust Stories 2 and the web series The Trail have been well received. The actor claims that while she is enjoying and making the most of this stage, what fascinates her the most is how women are portrayed on television as the screenplay changes.
“I’m happy with the work that I am getting to do in the OTT space and the fact that both my latest projects did well validates it. But, saying that it has in some way liberated me as an artist would be a bit too much. I’ve been doing good work even otherwise. It feels nice when we have the chance to go out there and do other things as well, and not just 3-hour long feature films,” says the actor, who made her OTT debut with web film Tribhanga (2021).
Perhaps, that’s the reason, more than big screen outings, Kajol is focused more on the web medium. Her last theatrical releases including Tanhaji (2020) and Salmaan Venky (2022). Asked if this switch if intentional and the 49-year-old mentions, “No, it just kind of happened and they released like that. I have definitely not planned it anyway.”
And what about the tag of ‘trendsetter’ that people often associate with her for trying diverse characters? “I have broken these norms because I’ve always had people around me who have told me that, ‘It’s okay, and go ahead and do what you want and be what you want’. So, that gave me a push to try new things and challenge myself,” she tells us.
After making her acting debut in 1992’s Bekhudi, directed by Rahul Rawail, Kajol went on to star in a number of commercially successful dramas, including Karan Arjun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Gupt: The Hidden Truth, Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Additionally, she has witnessed women generally making greater contributions to the filmmaking process over time, as well as female performers getting better roles.
“I adore the fact that there are now significantly more women working on set than there were 25 to 30 years ago. I’m so relieved to see that there is a place for them and that guys, in particular, go out of their way to help women feel at ease on set. Without anyone having to push them over, they carry it out just as they did. It is a significant advance. There is nothing about the way the film industry operates that Kajol would wish to change, she says, adding that things are much better now.
“Film industry is a wonderful place. One of the great things about it is that we are able to evolve and integrate all kinds of things going on in our society. So, for me, it’s a really cool place,” she ends.