When SRK told Kajol to learn how to act
One of the most spontaneous actors in the industry, talks about learning the ropes of acting
From understanding the craft of acting to body language and on- screen chemistry, Kajol learnt the basics of her profession one film at a time over her two decade- long career.
In an interview ahead of her upcoming film Helicopter Eela, Kajol talks about learning the ropes of acting on set.
The actor lists three films, her 1992 debut Bekhudi, Udhar Ki Zindagi ( 1994) and Dushman ( 1998) as her
favourites.
While the first two films may not have been blockbusters, they did help her
grow as an artiste.
“All the films are completely different — from Bekhudi to Udhar Ki Zindagi to
Dushman to Kuch Kuch
Hota Hai. There was no connect, but that’s what drove me to take up these films as I learnt something new every time,” Kajol says.
Bekhudi, directed by Rahul Rawail, marked Kajol’s entry in films, and the actor credits the movie for teaching her the basics of filmmaking, from facing the camera to gaining technical knowledge.
“I learnt so much on that film. Rahul uncle was one of the best teachers in that aspect as far as the nuances were concerned. It was one of the first films in which I worked with screenwriter and fashion photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha and make- up artiste Mickey Contractor, they were amazing with me.”
The film also has a special place in her heart as her real- life mother Tanuja played her on- screen mom. Talking about Udhar Ki
Zindagi, Kajol says the film was so intense that she suffered from a burnout in “a weird way,” and recounts a conversation with SRK.
“I remember having a conversation during Baazigar with Shah Rukh Khan and he told me, I should learn how to act and I was like, ‘ I am doing so fabulously well’. He told me I need to burn out as an actor, I felt he talks nonsense sometimes. But when I was shooting for
Udhar Ki Zindagi, I was like, ‘ I can’t do films that are so heavy, it sucks so much out of you’. I did not want to do that anymore.”
Kajol remembers discussing with Tanuja that she wanted to do lighter films and not emotionally draining movies.
But after taking up a series of light- hearted films, Kajol changed her mind and featured in a hard- hitting film like
Dushman. The actor says she had initially rejected the project.
But Tanuja Chandra and Pooja Bhatt assured her that they will shoot the scene aesthetically with a body double. The 1998 thriller was well- received by critics, and it was the seventh highest- grossing Hindi film that year.
With Karan Johar’s directorial debut Kuch Kuch
Hota Hai, she realised the importance of chemistry between co- stars. “What I realised is that when you have fun off- screen, it translates on screen. Your offscreen equation is conveyed on screen. You don’t know what is it that attracts people,” says Kajol who acted with SRK in this film.