Bollywood actress Kajol is renowned for her bold roles and stylish on-screen presence. Like many contemporaries, she made her cinematic debut at the young age of 16. Having grown up around the film industry,
Kajol quickly found her footing in Hindi cinema.
She began her career in 1992 with the film Bekhudi, opposite Kamal Sadanah. Though Kamal Sadanah was only four years her senior, Kajol had to perform a scene where she slapped him, a moment that left her emotionally overwhelmed.
A Difficult Scene To Shoot
Bekhudi was directed by Rahul Rawail, and during filming, Kajol was required to slap Kamal Sadanah. In an interview with Brut India, Kajol recalled how troubled she was by the scene.
“It was impossible for me to slap someone without reason”, she said. “Kamal was such a kind and soft-spoken person. I just couldn’t bring myself to hit him, it went against my morals and conscience.”
Kajol shared that she kept hesitating and would lightly touch Kamal’s face instead of delivering the slap, which led to multiple retakes.
The Director’s Provocation
Eventually, director Rahul Rawail provoked her to get the scene right, saying, “It seems you want to punish him, that’s why you keep doing retakes.”
This irritated Kajol, and in a moment of frustration, she finally delivered a convincing take. But as soon as the scene ended, she broke down in tears and apologised to Kamal Sadanah. “It felt like I’d done something terribly wrong. It was a very intense emotional experience for me”, she said.
Kajol’s Take On Acting
Reflecting on that moment, Kajol said that acting is a form of emotional therapy. She encouraged everyone to face a camera at least once in their lives. She said, “It teaches you that how you view yourself is far more important than how the world sees you.”
Kajol is currently working on her upcoming project, The Trial Season 2.
