Kajal Aggarwal

Kajal Aggarwal
Kajal at the promotions of Special 26 (2013) in Mumbai, India.
Born	(1985-06-19) 19 June 1985 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality	Indian
Ethnicity	Punjabi
Education	B.M.M.
Alma mater	Kishinchand Chellaram College
Occupation	Model, Actress, Singer
Years active	2004–present
Family	Nisha Aggarwal (Younger sister)

Kajal Aggarwal (born 19 June 1985) is an Indian film actress and model. One of the most popular Indian celebrities, she has established a career in Telugu and Tamil film industries and has been nominated for four Filmfare Awards South. In addition to acting, Kajal participates in stage shows and is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products.

Aggarwal made her acting debut with the 2004 Bollywood film Kyun! Ho Gaya Na... and had her first Telugu film release in 2007 Lakshmi Kalyanam. In the same year, she starred in the box office hit Chandamama, which earned her recognition. The 2009 historical fiction Telugu film Magadheera marked a turning point in her career, earning her critical acclaim. It ranks among the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time and fetched her Best Actress nominations at several award ceremonies including Filmfare.

She subsequently rose to prominence by starring in several critical and commercially successful Telugu films like Darling (2010), Brindavanam (2010), Mr. Perfect (2011), Businessman (2012), Naayak (2013), Baadshah (2013), Govindudu Andarivadele (2014), Temper (2015) and established herself as one of the leading and highest-paid actresses in Tollywood.

Kajal gained further recognition by featuring as the female lead in the high-profile Tamil projects Naan Mahaan Alla (2010), Maattrraan (2012), Thuppakki (2012), Jilla (2014), Maari (2015) and emerged as a leading actress in Kollywood as well. She made a comeback to Bollywood with Singham (2011) which was a blockbuster while her Special 26 (2013) was also declared a box-office success.

Early life

Kajal was born in Mumbai to Vinay Aggarwal, an entrepreneur, and Suman Aggarwal, a confectioner. She has a younger sister, Nisha Agarwal, who is also an actress appearing in Telugu and Tamil films. She studied at St. Anne's High School, Colaba, Mumbai and Jai Hind College, Mumbai. She graduated from K.C. College, Mumbai with a degree in Mass Media specialising in advertising and marketing. In her final year of college, she did internship with Loreal and has started her modelling career. She was planning on pursuing MBA in Brand Management before deciding to pursue acting.

Career

Film debut and struggles (2004–08)

Aggarwal made her acting debut in the 2004 Bollywood film Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na, in which she had a minor supporting role as the friend of Diya. She signed veteran Tamil director Bharathiraja's Bommalattam, alongside Arjun Sarja. The film got delayed and released in late 2008.

Aggarwal made her debut in the Telugu film industry and played her first leading role in 2007 in Teja's Lakshmi Kalyanam alongside Kalyan Ram; it did not fare well at the box office. Later that year, she appeared in the Krishna Vamsi-directed Chandamama, which opened to positive reviews and became her first major successful film. In 2008, she had her first Tamil film release, Perarasu's action entertainer Pazhani, co-starring Bharath. She had two more Tamil releases that year with Venkat Prabhu’s comedy-thriller Saroja, in which she did a guest appearance, and Bharathiraja's investigative thriller Bommalattam. Although the former went on to become a commercial as well as a critical success, both films failed to boost her career as her roles were too insignificant. Her Telugu releases, Pourudu and Aatadista opposite Sumanth and Nitin, respectively, did not receive positive reviews; both were successful at the box office.

Public recognition and widespread success (2009–12)

Aggarwal had four releases in 2009. She first starred in the Tamil film Modhi Vilayadu, opposite Vinay Rai which garnered mixed reviews and was a financial failure. Then she appeared in the high budget Telugu historical drama Magadheera, alongside Ram Charan Teja, which saw her playing double roles for the first time. The film, directed by S. S. Rajamouli, received universal critical acclaim, while Aggarwal, particularly, was praised for her portrayal of a princess.

Kajal at IIJW, 2011.

Aggarwal was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in Telugu and nominated for the award for Best Telugu Actress in the South Scope Awards for her performance. It was highly commercially successful and broke several records, emerging as the highest-grossing Telugu film of all time. Magadheera's enormous success turned Aggarwal into one of the most sought-after actresses in Telugu cinema and catapulted her into the main foray of leading Telugu actresses. It was released again in Tamil as Maaveeran in 2011 and was also successful at the box office. Her subsequent releases Ganesh Just Ganesh, opposite Ram and Arya 2 opposite Allu Arjun received mixed reviews from critics, while her performance garnered positive feedback.

Aggarwal's first 2010 release was A. Karunakaran's romantic comedy Darling, which featured her alongside Prabhas and received favorable response, becoming a commercial success at the box office, with Kajal receiving her second Filmfare nomination for Best Actress.

Later that year, Aggarwal appeared in the Tamil thriller film Naan Mahaan Alla opposite Karthi, which was based on a real-life incident and opened to unanimously positive reviews. It was a box office success. The chemistry between Karthi and Aggarwal was widely praised. It was later dubbed in Telugu as Naa Peru Siva, in Andhra Pradesh and became a success there, too. Aggarwal's final release in 2010 was another romantic comedy Brindavanam opposite Jr. NTR and Samantha, which received critical acclaim and went on to become an economic success, while fetching Aggarwal the CineMAA Award for Best Actress.

In 2011, Aggarwal was paired with Prabhas for the second time in the romantic comedy Mr. Perfect, directed by Dasaradh. The film became a critical and commercial success. Kajal's performance as a conservative doctor and her chemistry with Prabhas won praise by critics. Kajal received her third Filmfare nomination for Best Actress in Telugu for her performance. In May, she appeared in Veera opposite Ravi Teja that received negative reviews and failed at the box office.

In July that year, Aggarwal made her Bollywood comeback after seven years with a leading role in the police story Singham, a remake of the same-titled 2010 Tamil film, opposite Ajay Devgn. It received mixed reviews from critics, as did her portrayal of a Goan girl Kavya Bhosle, with critics stating that Aggarwal had not much to offer in the hero-centric film. Komal Nahta noted that "Kaajal Aggarwal acts with effortless ease. Her performance is good", while Filmfare wrote that "Kajal who looks pretty and has done what she has been told to, but probably deserved a meatier debut". Nevertheless, the film was blockbuster at the box office. She was nominated for two awards for her performance: the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and the Zee Cine Award for Best Female Debut.

Kajal Aggarwal.

Aggarwal finished 2011 with the Telugu film Dhada opposite Naga Chaitanya, which failed at the box office. In early 2012, Aggarwal appeared in the Telugu gangster film Businessman alongside Mahesh Babu, directed by Puri Jagannadh. A Sankranthi release, it opened to positive reviews and turned out to be a blockbuster. Aggarwal's performance, though limited, was praised by critics.

"I prefer Telugu film industry as women are respected more than they are in the Tamil film industry. In Tamil cinema, they care only about their hero. Of course, I don't give a shit and go and sit in my van"

 — Aggarwal about the difference she felt between Telugu and Tamil industry.

Aggarwal made a comeback to Tamil cinema later that year with two high-profile action flicks. The first was Maattrraan directed by K. V. Anand and starring Suriya. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Her performance was well received; a review carried by The Indian Express summarised "Kajal does with utmost sincerity as the foreign language translator Anjali. It's this trait and her graceful demeanour which makes Kajal a pleasant watch". The second was A. R. Murugadoss's Thuppakki, starring Vijay, in which she played the role of a boxer. It received mostly positive reviews from the critics and was a major commercial success, becoming the second Tamil film ever to collect over ₹100 crore (US$15 million). Her final release in 2012 was the Telugu romance film Sarocharu, opposite Ravi Teja for the second time. Although her performance was praised by critics, the film received poor reviews and did below-average business at the box office.

Recent work (2013–present)

Aggarwal at CCL Hundred Hearts Charity Dinner at Hyderabad in 2015.

In early 2013, Aggarwal starred in V. V. Vinayak's action film Naayak opposite Ram Charan Teja and Amala Paul. Upon release, it received positive reviews and was a major commercial success. She later starred in the Hindi film Special 26, a heist drama directed by Neeraj Pandey. It went on to be a major critical and commercial success. She later appeared in Srinu Vaitla's Baadshah opposite Jr. NTR for the second time in her career. Upon release critics appreciated her performance. The Times of India commented "Kajal is as usual an eye-candy. She's got a good role and has done justice to her performance. Also she looks stunning in the songs." The film was a financial success, cementing her position in Telugu cinema. Her final release in 2013 was All in All Azhagu Raja opposite Karthi which released on Diwali to negative reviews from critics.

In early 2014, Aggarwal starred in R. T. Neason's masala film Jilla, in which she played a police officer. She then featured in a cameo appearance in the Telugu action thriller film Yevadu. Her next release was Krishna Vamsi's family drama Govindudu Andarivadele which released in October to positive reviews. It grossed ₹416.5 million (US$6.2 million) at the box office and became one of the highest grossing Telugu films of 2014.

"I have always wanted to be a good performer than being a mere actor. When I do so, I give my 100 percent. It’s been nine years since my first film released. But even today when I sign a film, I have the same enthusiasm and energy in me. I am ambitious"

“I go by the script mostly and my instinct. Any role that I am doing has to be well defined. I don’t want to simply run around trees and vanish. Initially, I feared being typecast but it took me a while to get over it"

 — Aggarwal about her film journey and the way she chooses the scripts.

In early 2015, Aggarwal starred in Puri Jagannadh's Telugu film Temper. Next, she appeared in two Tamil films, Balaji Mohan's comedy Maari and Suseenthiran's action film Paayum Puli respectively. In late June 2015 she signed a Telugu film Brahmotsavam which also features Mahesh Babu, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Pranitha Subhash in lead roles.

In early August 2015, Aggarwal signed another Telugu film Sardaar Gabbar Singh starring opposite Pawan Kalyan. Later she made a cameo appearance in the film Size Zero. In early February 2016 she signed a film opposite Vikram directed by Thiru. In April 2016 she signed a Telugu film directed by Teja starring opposite Rana Daggubati.

Brand endorsements

Aggarwal endorses a large number of popular brands. Before starting her film career, she had acted in commercials as a model. Aggarwal represents Celebrity Cricket League as a brand ambassadors. She is the brand ambassador for Lux in endorsing the beauty soap. She endorses several retail and jewelry stores in south India — RS Brothers in Hyderabad, Sri Lakshmi Jewellery in Puducherry and AVR in Salem. She has featured in television advertisements along with Karthi endorsing Bru instant coffee. She has endorsed mobile brands like Samsung Mobile and has featured in advertisements for the Secunderabad based The Chennai Shopping Mall. In April 2012, Kajal was announced as the brand ambassador for Panasonic. In 2013, Aggarwal was signed by Dabur as the brand ambassador of its flagship hair oil brand DaburAmlaNelli. She also endorses Green Trends, a leading salon brand in India.

Filmography

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Year	Film	Role	Language	Notes
2004	Kyun! Ho Gaya Na...	Diya's sister	Hindi
2007	Lakshmi Kalyanam	Lakshmi	Telugu
2007	Chandamama	Mahalakshmi	Telugu
2008	Pourudu	Samyukhta	Telugu
2008	Pazhani	Deepti	Tamil
2008	Aatadista	Sunnanda	Telugu
2008	Saroja	Pooja	Tamil
2008	Bommalattam	Anitha	Tamil
2009	Modhi Vilayadu	Easwari Lakshmiram	Tamil
2009	Magadheera	Yuvarani Mithravindha Devi Indira (Indu)	Telugu	Dual role Nominated- Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu
2009	Ganesh Just Ganesh	Divya	Telugu
2009	Arya 2	Geethanjali	Telugu
2010	Om Shanti	Meghana	Telugu
2010	Darling	Nandini	Telugu	Nominated- Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu
2010	Naan Mahaan Alla	Priya Sudharsan	Tamil
2010	Brindaavanam	Bhoomi	Telugu	CineMAA Award for Best Actress (Telugu)
2011	Mr. Perfect	Priya	Telugu	Nominated- Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu
2011	Veera	Chitti	Telugu
2011	Singham	Kavya Bhosle	Hindi	Nominated- Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut
2011	Dhada	Rhea	Telugu
2012	Businessman	Chitra	Telugu
2012	Maattrraan	Anjali	Tamil
2012	Thuppakki	Nisha	Tamil	CineMAA Award for Best Actress (Tamil)
2012	Sarocharu	Sandhya	Telugu
2013	Naayak	Madhu	Telugu
2013	Special 26	Priya Chauhan	Hindi
2013	Baadshah	Janaki	Telugu
2013	All in All Azhagu Raja	Chitra Devi Priya	Tamil
2014	Jilla	Shanthi	Tamil
2014	Yevadu	Deepthi	Telugu	Extended Cameo appearance
2014	Govindudu Andarivadele	Satya	Telugu	Nominated- Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu
2015	Temper	Shanvi	Telugu
2015	Maari	Sridevi	Tamil
2015	Paayum Puli	Sowmya	Tamil
2015	Size Zero	Herself	Telugu	Cameo appearance
2015	Inji Iduppazhagi		Tamil	Cameo appearance
2016	Sardaar Gabbar Singh	Arshi Devi	Telugu
2016	Brahmotsavam	Kasi	Telugu
2016	Do Lafzon Ki Kahani	Jenny	Hindi	Post-Production, Releasing on 10 June 2016.
2016	Kavalai Vendam		Tamil	Filming
2016	Garuda		Tamil	Filming
2016	Untitled Teja's Project		Telugu	Pre-Production

As Singer

Year	Film	Song	Language	Composer
2016	Chakravyuha	"Yenaithu"	Kannada	S. Thaman

Awards and nominations

Filmfare Awards South

The Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by The Times Group to honour artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the South Indian film industry.

Nominated

• 2009 – Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Magadheera
• 2010 – Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Darling
• 2011 – Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Mr. Perfect
• 2014 – Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Govindudu Andarivadele

South Indian International Movie Awards

Winner

• 2013 - SIIMA Award for Best Actress (Critics) - Tamil for Thuppakki
• 2013 - Youth Icon of South Indian Cinema

Nominated

• 2012 - SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Mr. Perfect
• 2013 - SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Baadshah
• 2013 - SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Tamil for Thuppakki.
• 2014 - SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Govindudu Andarivadele

CineMAA Awards

The CineMAA Awards are presented annually by the Movie Artists Association Group to honour artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Telugu Cinema.
Winner

• 2011 - CineMAA Award for Best Actress - Telugu for Brindaavanam (2010)
• 2013 - CineMAA Award for Best Actress -Tamil for Thuppakki (2012)

Nominations

• 2010 - CineMAA Award for Best Actress - Telugu for Magadheera (2009)
• 2012 - CineMAA Award for Best Actress - Telugu for Mr. Perfect (2011)

See also

• List of Indian film actresses

External links

• Kajal Aggarwal at the Internet Movie Database
• Kajal Aggarwal on Facebook
• Kajal Aggarwal on Instagram

• Special Chabbis and ABCD A Hit!. BollySpice (2013-02-13). Retrieved on 2013-07-13.
• http://www.ibtimes.co.in/039all-in-all-azhaguraja039-review-roundup-joke-is-on-audiences-519090
• http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/Kajal-in-Ram-Charans-Yevadu/articleshow/15490191.cms?
• http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/Govindudu-Andarivadele-opens-to-positive-reviews/articleshow/43983722.cms
• http://web.archive.org/web/20141103100900/http://www.ibtimes.co.in/box-office-collection-ram-charans-govindudu-andarivadele-gav-mints-over-41-crore-612912
• "'Temper' Review Round Up: Jr. NTR Gets Thumbs Up from Critics"
• [1] Archived 19 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine
• "Garuda Goes on Floors Next Month"