Team MissMalini got a chance to chat with Kajol. We asked her questions about her latest movie Dilwale, Shah Rukh Khan, Rohit Shetty, her kids and much, much more.
Check it out!
What was your first reaction when you were approached for the film?
I don’t normally have a reaction when I’m approached for a film. Usually, I wait for… to accept the film and start shooting for a film before I have any kind of a reaction to it. But yes, it was wonderful doing the film, it was great working with Shah Rukh, great working with Rohit and working with the whole Red Chillies etc. We had a great time on sets and you know, we had a really, really fun time on sets.
What did you miss about acting?
I don’t know. I don’t really miss, miss anything but yes, when I’m in front of the camera and I’m acting per say, I think it’s great. It revives you, I really honestly love it. And maybe I miss my craft at times, yes.
Do you see any difference in the newcomers now and the time when you started out?
Definitely! A lot! They’re much more well put together; they’re much more with it; much more in control of themselves and their destinies than I was at that point of time. And of course, they’re you know, they have a very clear idea of where they wanna go and what they wanna do for themselves. I think they have to be. Today’s generation is different. Today the newcomers are not really newcomers – they’re fully prepared newcomers that come in you know with their managers and an idea of what their brand should be, etc.
How are the movie making ideologies now different from the ’90s?
Currently, I think most of the current ideologies are different today. For instance, we have a bound script – which in itself is shocking. I don’t think we’ve worked with a bound script earlier. I mean it was never a norm. If you ever asked for a script, even if you ever asked for a narration for a script, everybody would look at you like, “You really want a narration? Shouldn’t you be just saying yes to me because I’m the director and I’ve done like God knows how many films!” I was probably one of the few people who used to actually ask for a narration at that point of time. Everybody used to look at me like “she’s a brat, she doesn’t know what she’s asking for. How can she be so disrespectful to me? Asking for a narration, asking for a script?” I have done a few films where I have not asked for the script and I thoroughly regretted them. Trust me! I thoroughly regretted them.
Which was the film you absolutely loved the script of?
I have done a lot of films that I loved the script of. I don’t think I have done many films that I have not liked the script for. But scripts that stay in my memory as iconic scripts were DDLJ – I thought it was a perfect script when I first heard the script I was like you know you should not change one word of this. This film should just go on floors the way it is right now because it’s brilliant. And I’m a reader, I love to read. So, I know what a good book sounds like, I know how badly a good book can be interpreted, and I know how a good book can actually make a great film. So I have a very clear funda – the script that I’m reading, has to be like an “un-put-downable” book.
Which book are you reading right now?
Speaking of books, right now I’m actually just re-reading my library. I haven’t found anything that I have really, really wanted to pick up and read. I’m in one of those phases where I don’t really want to pick up anything unfamiliar to me right now.
Is there is a certain kind of predictability now when you act with SRK?
I think there is a certain kind of predictability. And there has to be. I don’t think you can be completely unpredictable otherwise the camera wouldn’t know where to go, would it? I think both of us are a little predictable to each other, at the same time, he surprises me and I surprise him constantly. So, I think that’s the good part about you working with a friend really.
What makes you the happiest?
I think doing absolutely nothing. Honestly speaking, I am one of those people who finds happiness wherever I can. Like I don’t want to be here giving this interview but I am finding something funny about it.
What does your perfect day sound like?
Not getting out of my pyjamas, sitting on the dining table and drinking as much coffee as I want and just relaxing without anybody talking to me, AT ALL!
Does your daughter remind you of who you were as a kid?
All the time! Both my kids. I wonder how my mother managed. I’m putting her up for sainthood after this.
It was a fun chat with the actress. But there is more! We even played ‘Never Have I Ever’ with Kajol. Stay tuned to catch the video!