It's actress Kajal Aggarwal's birthday on June 19. The actress, who is best known as the Singham actress for Bollywood buffs, has made it big down south. As she turns 37 this year and celebrates her first birthday after embracing motherhood, we look at her journey in the film industry!
Updated On: 2022-06-19 09:02 AM IST
Born on July 19, 1985, Kajal Aggarwal is a complete Mumbai girl. She was born and raised in a Punjabi family based in Mumbai. Her father Vinay Aggarwal is a textile businessman, while her mother Suman Aggarwal is a confectioner. Also, Kajal's mom is now officially her business manager after Kajal achieved stardom. (All photos/Kajal Aggarwal's official Instagram account)
Kajal Aggarwal did her schooling from St Anne's High School in Colaba. She, initially, studied from Jai Hind College, and later got a degree in Mass Media from KC College
Kajal has also done theatre, English and Hindi, during her college days. She was with a theatre company - Two Plus Production and that's how Kajal got noticed
In a candid chat with mid-day, Kajal Aggarwal (a few years ago) said, "My getting into films was totally by chance. I was in my last year of BMM and was interning with a company when I got an offer to do a Tamil-Telugu film. My earlier intention had been to do an MBA, but I just took up this film as a one-time thing as I thought it will look cool on my CV (smiles). There's been no looking back since. I love being a part of the film industry. I don't have a godfather but everyone's been so helpful that I've never felt the need for one"
Though Kajal Aggarwal's debut as the leading actress was with the Telugu film Lakshmi Kalyanam, alongside Kalyan Ram, the actress had first appeared in Aishwarya Rai and Vivek Oberoi's film Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na. It was a blink-and-miss role, where she played the role of Aish's friend. Kajal was just 19 then
Kajal Aggarwal's career in Telugu film industry kick-started in 2007. After Lakshmi Kalyanam, she appeared in many Telugu films such as Chandamama, Pourudu, Aatadista, Magadheera, Ganesh Just Ganesh, Arya 2, Om Shanti, Darling, Brindavanam, Mr. Perfect, Veera and many more
Kajal Aggarwal made her Tamil debut in 2008 with Pazhani, followed by films such as Bommalattam, Modhi Vilayadu, Naan Mahaan Alla, Maattrraan, Thuppakki, All in All Azhagu Raja, Jilla, Maari, Paayum Puli, Kavalai Vendam, Vivegam, Mersal. However, she made a mark in the Telugu film industry more
Kajal Aggarwal has her reservations when it comes to skin show. The actress had decided, before entering the film industry, that she would not wear a bikini, simply because she does not think clothes sell a film
Talking about her Bollywood journey, here's how Kajal Aggarwal ventured into the B-town. Well, this too happened by chance. The actress was offered Singham, opposite Ajay Devgn by Rohit Shetty after the director saw her film Magadheera
Kajal said in an interview, "It was bound to happen at some point in my life considering that I was born and brought up in Mumbai. I have lived here all my life. It was a very natural progression towards Bollywood. Rohit offered me the role after seeing my south film Magadheera. He was looking for a simple and innocent girl for the role and felt I fitted the bill perfectly"
Kajal made her full-fledged Bollywood debut with Ajay Devgn-starrer Singham in 2011 and later starred opposite Akshay Kumar in Special 26 (2013). Three years later, she starred in Do Lafzon Ki Kahani opposite Randeep Hooda. However, the film bombed at the Box Office, and that was her last Bollywood film
Though she has predominantly worked in Telugu and Tamil films, Kajal Aggarwal says her career in Bollywood has not taken a back seat. "I choose the best from whatever is offered to me. I am open to all languages; I have never seen language as a barrier when it comes to performance, when it comes to acting. It's more about the script, story that I am telling, and if I get that in any other language, regional cinema or even international, I will be more than happy to do it"
In October 2019, Kajal Aggarwal revealed that she plans to get married soon. The actress opened up about her plans to settle down during a conversation with Lakshmi Manchu on VOOT's Feet Up with the Stars Telugu. The actress tied the knot with a businessman Gautam Kitchlu and the duo was blessed with a baby boy earlier this year. They named him Neil
In a recent post shared by Kajal, posing with her son, she wrote, "The love of my life [sic]"
Here's wishing a very happy birthday to Kajal Aggarwal!