'I think times are changing'

There’s never a dull moment in Kajal Aggarwal’s life. But even though the actor has her hands full of projects in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, she still finds time to indulge in things that she loves: it could be anything from assisting her sister with her jewellery label to travelling.

When it comes to films, the actor says she signs on the dotted line only after she feels that the script has something dramatically different to offer. She dubs her role opposite Rana Daggubati in ‘Nene Raju Nene Mantri’, which released today, as unique because in a lot of ways her character actually carries the film forward.

In an interview with Nina C George, Kajal talks about her latest project.

You are playing the role of a wife for the first time in ‘Nene Raju Nene Mantri’? How was the experience?
I play the character of Radha, wife of Jogendra (played by Rana Daggubati). My role is an extremely crucial, responsible and mature one. This is the first time that I am playing the role of a wife and it was quite interesting to get under the skin of the character.

How did you match with the transformation of Jogendra’s character?
I didn’t really have to manage Jogendra because he manages the people around him. But there’s a crucial part in the film where Jogendra transforms from being a simple man to an intense politician. Here, my character undergoes a big change to match that transformation.

Were there emotionally intense moments in the film?
Emotions are characters by themselves in the story. It is an emotionally intense film for me because as a wife, when I see my husband doing things that he is not supposed to be doing, I obviously will react to it. I don’t want to be selfish and contain him to myself, but I try to make sure he doesn’t tread the wrong path.

On working with Rana...
Rana and I are good friends. We were always joking around on the sets, except for when we were shooting the serious scenes. On the personal front, I think that Rana is a very kind-hearted soul who is always there for his friends and family. And professionally, he is extremely focussed on the nuances of a script, and involves himself in every field of cinema. He is also open to learning which is very admirable.

How was it to work with director Teja?
This is my second film with Teja. I made a debut with him, so in that sense, my first film and my 50th film is with Teja. He is my guru and mentor and I really look up to him.

Do you think women are getting as much opportunities as their male counterparts in films?
I think times are changing and women are getting a lot of opportunities in cinema, equalling that of men. I would like to work on women-centric films but I am very choosy about the subjects. I won’t sign any project till I am convinced about it.

Could you be called a director’s actor?
I like working with good directors who know what they are doing and what exactly they want from actors. But having said that, I believe that actors too must take full responsibility in ensuring that their job is well done, irrespective of whether the director can motivate them or not.

What do you do when you are not shooting?
My sister owns a jewellery label called Marsala. I sometimes give some marketing ideas for the brand. We also try to get contemporary chic jewellery at affordable prices. Apart from that, I enjoy travelling and watching movies. I try and do different things just to break the monotony.