Kajal Aggarwal

Kajal born 19 June 1985  is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Telugu and Tamil language films, as well as in Hindi language films.  Aggarwal is a recipient of three South Indian International Movie Awards along with four Filmfare Awards South nominations.

Aggarwal made her acting debut with a minor role in the 2004 Hindi film Kyun! Ho Gaya Na… and had her first Telugu film release in Lakshmi Kalyanam (2007). In the same year, she gained wider recognition for her role in Chandamama. The 2009 fantasy film Magadheera, one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time, marked a turning point in her career and earned her critical acclaim.

Her other notable Telugu films include Darling (2010), Brindavanam (2010), Mr. Perfect (2011), Businessman (2012), Naayak (2013), Baadshah (2013), Govindudu Andarivadele (2014), Temper (2015), Khaidi No. 150 (2017), Nene Raju Nene Mantri (2017), Awe (2018) and Bhagavanth Kesari (2023). She has also played the female lead in high-profile Tamil projects such as Naan Mahaan Alla (2010), Maattrraan (2012), Thuppakki (2012), Jilla (2014), Vivegam (2017), Mersal (2017) and Comali (2019).  Her most successful Hindi films include the action film Singham (2011) and the thriller Special 26 (2013).

In 2020, a wax figure of Aggarwal was put on display at Madame Tussauds Singapore, making it the first of an actress from South Indian cinema.

Early life and education

Kajal Aggarwal was born on 19 June 1985 and raised in a Punjabi family with roots in Amritsar, settled in Bombay (present-day Mumbai).  Her father Vinay Aggarwal, is an entrepreneur in the textile business and her mother Suman Aggarwal is a confectioner,  and also Kajal’s business manager. Kajal has a younger sister Nisha Aggarwal, an actress in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam cinema.

Aggarwal studied at St. Anne’s High School, Fort, Mumbai, and completed her pre-university education at Jai Hind College.  She pursued her graduation in mass media, with specialisation in marketing and advertising, from Kishinchand Chellaram College.  Having harboured MBA dreams all through her growing years, in 2012, she said she “intended to achieve a post-graduation degree soon”.

Career

Film debut and struggles (2004–08)

Aggarwal made her acting debut in the 2004 Bollywood film Kyun! Ho Gaya Na…, in which she had a minor supporting role.

Aggarwal made her debut in Telugu and played her first leading role in 2007 in Teja’s Lakshmi Kalyanam, alongside Kalyan Ram; it did not fare well at the box office. Later that year, she appeared in the Krishna Vamsi-directed Chandamama, which opened to positive reviews and became her first major successful film.  In 2008, she had her first Tamil film release, Perarasu’s action entertainer Pazhani, opposite Bharath. She had one more Tamil release that year with Venkat Prabhu’s comedy-thriller Saroja, in which she did a guest appearance. Although the film went on to become a commercial as well as a critical success,[23] the film failed to boost her career as her role was too insignificant.  Her Telugu releases Pourudu and Aatadista opposite Sumanth and Nitin, respectively, did not receive positive reviews, but both were successful at the box office.

Personal life

On 6 October 2020, Aggarwal announced her upcoming marriage to Gautam Kitchlu. On 30 October 2020, the couple got married in a small, private ceremony in her hometown of Mumbai, India, with only the couple’s immediate families in attendance.

Kajal made her pregnancy official with an Instagram post, which was also confirmed by her husband shortly. She gave birth to a boy on 19 April 2022, named Neil.

Public recognition and critical acclaim (2009–11)

Aggarwal had four releases in 2009. She first starred opposite Vinay Rai in the Tamil film Modhi Vilayadu, which garnered mixed reviews and was a financial failure. She then appeared in the high budget Telugu historical drama Magadheera, alongside Ram Charan Teja, which saw her playing double roles for the first time. The film, directed by S. S. Rajamouli, received overwhelming critical acclaim, while Aggarwal, in particular, was praised for her portrayal of a princess. Aggarwal was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in Telugu and nominated for the award for Best Telugu Actress in the South Scope Awards for her performance.[citation needed] It was highly successful commercially and broke several records, emerging as the highest-grossing Telugu film of all time. Magadheera’s success turned Aggarwal into one of the most sought-after actresses in Telugu cinema.  It was released again in Tamil as Maaveeran in 2011, and was also successful at the box office.  Her subsequent releases Ganesh Just Ganesh, opposite Ram and Arya 2 opposite Allu Arjun received mixed reviews from critics, while her performance garnered positive feedback.

Aggarwal’s first 2010 release was A. Karunakaran’s romantic comedy Darling, which featured her alongside Prabhas and received a favourable response, becoming a commercial success at the box office,  with Kajal receiving her second Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. Later that year, Aggarwal appeared in the Tamil thriller film Naan Mahaan Alla, opposite Karthi, which was based on a real-life incident and opened to positive reviews. It was a box office success. The chemistry between Karthi and Aggarwal was widely praised.[citation needed] It was later dubbed in Telugu as Naa Peru Siva in Andhra Pradesh and was a success. Aggarwal’s final release in 2010 was another romantic comedy Brindavanam opposite Jr. NTR and Samantha, which received critical acclaim and went on to become a commercial success,  while fetching Aggarwal the CineMAA Award for Best Actress.

In 2011, Aggarwal was paired with Prabhas for the second time in the romantic comedy Mr. Perfect, directed by Dasaradh. The film became a critical and commercial success. Aggarwal’s performance as a conservative doctor and her chemistry with Prabhas was praised by critics.  Aggarwal received her third Filmfare nomination for Best Actress in Telugu for her performance. In May, she appeared in Veera, replacing Anushka Shetty and starring opposite Ravi Teja for the first time.  The film received moderate reviews.

In July that year, Aggarwal made her Bollywood comeback after seven years with a leading role in the police story Singham, a remake of the same-titled 2010 Tamil film, opposite Ajay Devgn.  It received mixed reviews from critics, as did her portrayal of a Goan girl Kavya Bhosle, with critics stating that Aggarwal had not much to offer in the hero-centric film. Komal Nahta noted that “Kaajal Aggarwal may not be very beautiful but she acts with effortless ease. Her performance is good”,  while Filmfare wrote that “Kajal who looks pretty and has done what she has been told to, but probably deserved a meatier debut”.  Nevertheless, the film was a hit at the box office. She was nominated for two awards for her performance: the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and the Zee Cine Award for Best Female Debut. Aggarwal finished 2011 with the Telugu film Dhada, opposite Naga Chaitanya, which failed at the box office.