I always wanted to work with Revathi: Kajol

I will never let my fears come in the way of what my children want, Kajol asserts

Kajol is famous for her honest takes on any topic, be it cinema, colleagues or herself. In the film industry for 30 years now, the actor can by no means be written off, thanks to her choices.

She has stood out for judiciously choosing interesting roles. Her performing skills have exploded in films as wide-ranging as Udhaar Ki Zindagi, Gupt, Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Dushman, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, U Me Aur Hum, Tribhanga and more. She was a key part of several blockbusters like Baazigar, Karan Arjun, Ishq and Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior.

“I am not comfortable doing certain roles, for example, I would find it tough to play a victim of molestation,” she states about her choices. “Initially I was not keen to play the mother of a child who suffers from a terminal disease. So I refused ‘Salaam Venky’ after Revathi ma’am had sent me the synopsis.”

The film, directed by Revathi, is set to release this week. It’s about a single mother and her teenage son who suffers from a rare, fatal disease named Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. “Such children die usually before the age of 15, but in this real case, the son lived till he was 25 mainly because of his mother’s positive attitude,” she smiles.

Revealing what made her finally accept the film, Kajol says, “Firstly, I had watched Revathi ma’am’s 2004 directorial ‘Phir Milenge’, and had been amazed at how well-balanced the Salman Khan-Shilpa Shetty film was. I had then thought that if ever she approached me, I would jump at doing a film with her—which took 17 years! But this time, when I told her how much I respected her as an actor and filmmaker but would not like to do her movie, she very sweetly told me to at least listen to the script.”

She goes on, “Usually, even in good scripts, we tend to see a few areas of improvement. But here, everything was perfect and so sensitively balanced. I thought that if I let go this movie merely because of a baseless, personal fear, I would regret it for the rest of my life. So I told her to take care of me and she sweetly assured me that she would.”

Kajol even met Sujata, on whose life the film is based on. “She is an amazingly simple woman with great clarity,” says the actress. “She decided to fulfil Venky’s desires as much as she could. Her son loved movies, so she took him once a week to the theatres on a wheelchair. He loved playing chess, dreamt of playing with Vishwanathan Anand, and idolised Arnold Schwarzenegger.”

From the film, Kajol learnt a vital lesson. “I will never let my fears come in the way of what my children want,” she asserts.

Nowadays, more biopics are being made on people who are not necessarily public figures. Is it easier or tougher to do such roles? Kajol replies, “The responsibility is more. Here, it is not just me but also Sujata who has to live with my work and feel I have essayed her properly.”

An interesting aspect of the film is that her first hero from Bekhudi, Kamal Sadanah, plays a key role.

“We did bump into each other here and there in these three decades. But to be with Kamal on sets was very surreal. Life had come full circle!” says Kajol about this.

So how does she look back at her long run—she even was a child star in her uncle, actor-director Deb Mukerji’s 1983 film, ‘Karate’ Her reel son here, Vishal Jethwa, has stated in awe that “Kajol ma’am has been roaring for 30 years, while I am only 28.”

Guffawing and obviously pleased as punch at this, Kajol chuckles, “Well, my mom (Tanuja) began acting when she was 6 or 7, and she is now 79! She has been around for 73 years and in every way, I am still a child when compared
to that.”