Early Life and Background: Kajol Devgan (Née Mukherjee Born 5 August 1974), Known

Kajol Devgan (née Mukherjee; born 5 August 1974), known mononymously as Kajol, is an Indian
film actress, who predominantly works in Hindi cinema. Born into the Mukherjee-Samarth family, she
is the daughter of actress Tanuja Samarth and filmmaker Shomu Mukherjee. She is the recipient
of numerous accolades, including six Filmfare Awards, and alongside her aunt Nutan, she holds the
record for most Best Actress wins at the ceremony, with five. In 2011, the Government of
India awarded her with Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour of the country.
After making her film debut through the drama Bekhudi (1992), Kajol had her first commercial
success with the thriller Baazigar (1993) and breakthrough with the romance Yeh Dillagi (1994). She
went on to establish herself with starring roles opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the top-grossing
romantic films Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), and Kabhi Khushi
Kabhie Gham...(2001). She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for each of these films and for
her roles as a blind Kashmiri woman in Fanaa(2006) and a single mother in My Name Is
Khan (2010). Her other notable films include the thrillers Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997)
and Dushman (1998), and the romantic dramas Ishq (1997), Pyaar Kiya To Darna
Kya (1998), Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha (1998) and Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain (1999). Her highest-
grossing releases came with the action comedy Dilwale (2015) and the period drama Tanhaji (2020).
In addition to acting in films, Kajol is a social activist and is noted for her work with widows and
children, for which she received the Karmaveer Puraskaar in 2008. She has featured as a talent
judge for Zee TV's reality show Rock-N-Roll Family and holds a managerial position at Devgn
Entertainment and Software Ltd. Kajol has been married to actor Ajay Devgn since 1999, with whom
she has two children.
Contents
 1Early life and background

 2Career
o 2.11992–1996: Debut and rise to prominence
o 2.21997–1998: Widespread success
o 2.31999–2001: Career setback and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...
o 2.42006–2010: Commercial fluctuations
o 2.52015–present: Dilwale and beyond
 3Off-screen work
o 3.1Managerial work
o 3.2Stage performance and television
o 3.3Social work
 4Personal life
 5In the media
 6Accolades
 7See also
 8References
 9Further reading
 10External links
Early life and background[edit]

See also: Mukherjee-Samarth family
Kajol with her mother Tanuja(centre) and sister Tanishaa (right)
Kajol was born in Bombay (Mumbai) to the Mukherjee-Samarth film family of Bengali-

Marathi descent. Her mother, Tanuja, is an actress, while her father Shomu Mukherjee was a film
director and producer.[1] Shomu died in 2008 after suffering cardiac arrest.[2] Her younger
sister, Tanishaa is also an actress. Her maternal aunt was actress Nutan and her maternal
grandmother, Shobhna Samarth, and great grandmother, Rattan Bai, were both involved in Hindi
cinema. Her paternal uncles, Joy Mukherjee and Deb Mukherjee, are film producers, while her
paternal and maternal grandfathers, Sashadhar Mukherjee and Kumarsen Samarth, were
filmmakers. Kajol's cousins Rani Mukerji, Sharbani Mukherjee and Mohnish Behl are also Bollywood
actors; whereas another cousin of hers, Ayan Mukerji is a director.[3][4]
Kajol describes herself as being "extremely mischievous" as a child. She added that she was very
stubborn and impulsive from a very young age.[5] Her parents separated when she was young; but
according to Tanuja, Kajol was not affected by the split as "we never argued in front of [her]".[6] In the
absence of her mother, Kajol was looked after by her maternal grandmother, who "never let me feel
that my mother was away and working".[7] According to Kajol, her mother inculcated a sense of
independence in her at a very young age. Growing up between two separate cultures, she inherited
her "Maharashtrian pragmatism" from her mother and her "Bengali temperament" from her father.[7]
Kajol was educated at a boarding school named, St. Joseph's Convent School, Panchgani. Apart
from her studies, she participated in extra-curricular activities, such as dancing.[8] It was in school that
she began to form an active interest in reading fiction, as it helped her "through the bad moments" in
her life.[9] At the age of sixteen, she began work on Rahul Rawail's film Bekhudi, which according to
her was a "big dose of luck". She initially intended to return to school after shooting for the film
during her summer vacations. However, she eventually dropped out of school to pursue a full-time
career in film. On not completing her education, she quoted, "I don't think I am any less well-rounded
because I didn't complete school".[7]

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Kajol Devgan (née Mukherjee; born 5 August 1974), known mononymously as Kajol, is an Indian

 1Early life and background

Early life and background[edit]

Kajol was born in Bombay (Mumbai) to the Mukherjee-Samarth film family of Bengali-

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