KAJOL IS MISSING AJAY

Be it her portrayal of Simran in Dilwale Dulhania... or of Anjali in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai...or now when she plays herself in television commercials, the one thing that comes across when Kajol is on screen is her spontaneity.
And the ace actress is no different in person either. A straight talker who doesn’t mince her words, Kajol had some really nice things to say about the Pink City on her recent visit here. It was business as usual for the lady who was here to promote the products of a telecom company. But if Kajol had the option of mixing business with pleasure, she would have really done so in Jaipur. And here’s why. “Jaipur is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I am really missing Ajay at this moment,” was her candid confession.
That her family is her topmost priority is something that Kajol has reiterated again and again, so when a journalist asked her, “Are you lucky for SRK or is he lucky for you?” she stepped back from her candid self and said, “Lets talk about the product I am launching.”

That hubby Ajay and her buddy Shah Rukh are not the best of friends is no secret in the industry, and like the nice wife Kajol decided to skirt the topic. SRK might be taboo, but Mumbai isn’t and the lovely lady was more than vocal about the state of her city after the recent terror attack. “People in Mumbai are very scared and I think they have every right to be scared,” she says. And as a responsible member of the film industry she doesn’t miss the opportunity to say that the entire film fraternity is annoyed with what has happened and the way the government has handled the situation. “We are the highest tax payers in the country, but in the security front we were made to face a huge security flaw,” she says visibly disgusted adding, “In fact, I was too annoyed with myself thinking why I didn’t do something when all this was happening.”
But like the city she lives in, Kajol’s spirit seems to have overtaken her fear for she has not changed anything about her life even after the attacks. “I haven’t added a battery of personal security guards in the fear that terrorists might strike again and this time it might be me. But, being a public figure I require guards when I attend public meetings,” she says. And though the Christmas and New Year season is round the corner, Kajol wants to keep it a low-key affair and says, “I don’t think we are in the mood to celebrate, and in any case I’m not a party animal and would prefer to be with my family.”
But the home-bound lady has her share of work as well and though she might not be doing as many films as her husband, but she is still game to working with friends. “From January onwards I’m going to work in a Karan Johar movie. In fact 2009 is going to be quite a busy year,” she says. And talking about films, we can’t but ask her if she would want to fulfil cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s desire to play his mom or sister on screen, and the 33-year-old actress blushes but adds with a tinge of humour, “Playing the mother of a star cricketer, even if on screen, is a great achievement.”

But we found out that Jaipur is not the only basis of her Rajasthan connect even as she is a frequent visitor to the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. “I have a lot of faith in the dargah, but unfortunately this time I am not being able to make a trip there, even though I am so close,” she says. Well, we are sure she’ll make another trip to Ajmer soon enough for Rajasthan to host this bindaas babe again.

HUM HAI RAHI PYAR KE PHIR MILENGE CHALTE CHALTE

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AND MY ALL TIME FAVORITE..

KAJOL

KAJOL GETS THE KARMAVEER PURASKAR

Our Bollywood people are not just heroes in reel life, some of them are heroes in real life too. Or in Kajol’s case, a real life heroine! Kajol.

Yes, the actress has managed to make even the NGOs sit up and take notice — not for her acting, but for her contribution in the field of social work. Kajol will be felicitated with the coveted Karamveer Puraskar in Delhi on November 26 and she’s all set to go there to receive the award.

The Karamveer Puraskar is a national award for Social Justice & Citizen Action being commissioned to recognise individuals who have been pivotal for leading change beyond their business as usual by being committed on individual levels to work on social issues. Kajol is the appointed goodwill ambassador and patron of the UK-based Loomba Trust which is a charity devoted to educating widow’s children, particularly in India. Cherie Blair, wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair is President of the trust. Kajol also works with an NGO in education called Shiksha.

The actress is delighted with this honour and says, “I believe that social commitment is as important as our professional and personal commitment. It is indeed an honour to have been selected for this award. I will keep doing my bit and giving back to society the best in my capacity.”

ENDORSING ABOUT MONEY

She likes to keep it quiet, but Kajol’s involvement in social causes has been in the news recently when she became the goodwill ambassador and patron of the UK-based Loomba Trust. And just a few days ago, Kajol was here in Delhi to receive the Karmaveer Puraskar for her work with the trust for the education of the children of widows. “This award is very special to me. When I saw the list of the other people getting the award, I was humbled by the fact that that they even considered me for it,” she says. She hasn’t spoken about her involvement in social initiatives very often earlier, but she prefers it that way. “There are probably a lot of people who endorse a cause for publicity. But when one endorses a cause, she/he is the one who’s going to benefit from it. And no matter what you do it for, the end result of it is a blissful one. It is very a satisfying feeling to see the people you work for with smiles on their faces, and faith in what you’re doing for them,” she says. Kajol also says that she remains a firm believer in the power of one. “There are times when you know of other people’s sufferings and it’s frustrating that you don’t know how to help,” she says. “But once you have helped, you feel that even one person can make a great deal of difference. If a lot of us – most of us - were to be a part of some cause in our own small way, it would be a better world for everyone.” And she gives the credit to her mom, Tanuja, for her involvement with social causes. “If the parents help others out, that exposure in childhood goes a long way,” she says. “My mother worked closely with NGOs. She helped rehabilitate cancer patients and help their families cope with the trauma. Also, she inculcated in Tanisha and me the importance of human emotions that need to be invested in work like this. Endorsing a cause doesn’t mean that you just have to shell out loads of money. It can mean teaching an underprivileged child, rehabilitating people who have lost their homes because of calamities and spreading awareness about an issue.” Global warming is another issue that Kajol is concerned about. “We should all know about the environment and make sure that what we do inspires other people as well to conserve energy,” she says. “Don’t take your car out for a day; it’ll make a lot of difference. And make sure that you’re not wasting energy. We need to develop hybrid cars and make them affordable for the common man.” It is also the actress’ dream to educate as many people as possible. “Everything else will be much simpler to tackle if more and more people are educated,” she says.

Source : TOI

ENDORSING ABOUT MONEY

Clubs, pubs, hubs of London

Celeb Travel: Kajol

London is my all time favourite holiday destination. But you look at any travel guide, or manual, you will realise it says in bold, "London can be stressful to travel with kids". I have first hand experience of that. And you realise once you have kids, how your life can change. Everything has to be done with your kid in mind first, and I like that because that’s what I have always wanted. So trips to Disneyland and theme parks are a priority right now, but I miss my good old London squares, and take time off to go there as and when I can.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of London is the amazing tube line, which is the heart of the city. I wouldn’t dare to take the local trains in Mumbai, but it’s quite liberating to hop onto a Metro in London and just experience the anonymity it offers. Every face on the tube has a story, and it’s nice to see people just being themselves, not bothering you, and maintaining their own personal space as they go around their business. There are flower shops outside every station, and you see young people picking up flowers for their loved ones, and it fills your heart with warmth.

Trafalgar Square is one of my favourite spots in the city and I love hanging around there, in the coffee shops reading a book all day. You can also do that at Hyde Park, which is surprisingly busy even during the day. That’s a place I would like to take Nysa out for a day picnic, and have a chilled out time. I am not a clubbing person, neither do I like going to pubs. But Trafalgar Square has some really nice clubs and pubs in the area, where people go after work and the atmosphere is fun. London is an interesting mix of the old and the new, with the newly built London eye being another tourist attraction. And the view of the city from there is breathtaking.

The Thames just adds to the glory of the city and I have walked several times for many hours along the banks, getting lost in my thoughts, not knowing where I was going.

Of course, there are the historic and architectural landmarks like the Big Ben, the Tower bridge, and several magnificent churches, like the St. James Cathedral, which are a must see if it’s your first trip to London, and also the Buckingham Palace. But at the same time, don’t miss the museums in the heart of the city, which hold some of the important paintings and art works of all times.

We Indians will always feel at home in London, with its huge South Asian community there. The Indian restaurants in London are as good, if not better than those back home.

Since I am a complete Indian food lover, I have problems travelling through other parts of Europe, but not in London.

It is a great place to shop, with hi-end brands housed at Selfridges, but you can also shop at Topshop and H&M, which are at every nook and corner.

The only problem with travelling to London is that it is so expensive, and given the conversion rates between pounds and rupee, one feels the pinch even more. A lot of times, I too convert everything into rupees and see the feasibility of what I buy. But maybe we should just live and splurge a little when in London, because it’s so worth it.

Source: Deccan Chronicle

Clubs, pubs, hubs of London

Celeb Travel: Kajol

London is my all time favourite holiday destination. But you look at any travel guide, or manual, you will realise it says in bold, "London can be stressful to travel with kids". I have first hand experience of that. And you realise once you have kids, how your life can change. Everything has to be done with your kid in mind first, and I like that because that’s what I have always wanted. So trips to Disneyland and theme parks are a priority right now, but I miss my good old London squares, and take time off to go there as and when I can.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of London is the amazing tube line, which is the heart of the city. I wouldn’t dare to take the local trains in Mumbai, but it’s quite liberating to hop onto a Metro in London and just experience the anonymity it offers. Every face on the tube has a story, and it’s nice to see people just being themselves, not bothering you, and maintaining their own personal space as they go around their business. There are flower shops outside every station, and you see young people picking up flowers for their loved ones, and it fills your heart with warmth.

Trafalgar Square is one of my favourite spots in the city and I love hanging around there, in the coffee shops reading a book all day. You can also do that at Hyde Park, which is surprisingly busy even during the day. That’s a place I would like to take Nysa out for a day picnic, and have a chilled out time. I am not a clubbing person, neither do I like going to pubs. But Trafalgar Square has some really nice clubs and pubs in the area, where people go after work and the atmosphere is fun. London is an interesting mix of the old and the new, with the newly built London eye being another tourist attraction. And the view of the city from there is breathtaking.

The Thames just adds to the glory of the city and I have walked several times for many hours along the banks, getting lost in my thoughts, not knowing where I was going.

Of course, there are the historic and architectural landmarks like the Big Ben, the Tower bridge, and several magnificent churches, like the St. James Cathedral, which are a must see if it’s your first trip to London, and also the Buckingham Palace. But at the same time, don’t miss the museums in the heart of the city, which hold some of the important paintings and art works of all times.

We Indians will always feel at home in London, with its huge South Asian community there. The Indian restaurants in London are as good, if not better than those back home.

Since I am a complete Indian food lover, I have problems travelling through other parts of Europe, but not in London.

It is a great place to shop, with hi-end brands housed at Selfridges, but you can also shop at Topshop and H&M, which are at every nook and corner.

The only problem with travelling to London is that it is so expensive, and given the conversion rates between pounds and rupee, one feels the pinch even more. A lot of times, I too convert everything into rupees and see the feasibility of what I buy. But maybe we should just live and splurge a little when in London, because it’s so worth it.

Source: Deccan Chronicle

KAJOL AGREE TO SHAKE LEG WITH SHAHRUKH IN RAB NE BANA DI JODI

It is a known fact that Kajol has been Shahrukh Khan’s lucky mascot ever since they both shared the screen space in “Baazigar“. Whenever this hit couple of the Indian cinema came together the movie worked wonders at Box office. Viewers adore to seeing their blazing chemistry on screen even if it is for few seconds. And that is the reason Shahrukh prefers to have Kajol’s presence in his films even in cameos and special appearances.

Lastly she was seen in Shahrukh Khan’s home production movie “Om Shanti Om” but in a special appearance which again turned a massive hit. Now that Shahrukh’s one more esteemed latest project “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi“, which is being directed by Aditya Chopra and stars newcomer Bangalore model Anushka Sharma opposite our very own King Khan.

The superstar has once again roped in his dearest friend and lucky charm Kajol for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. No the bubbly actress is not paired with Shahrukh but only doing a song in the movie. If the reports are to be believed than it was none other than acre filmmaker Aditya Chopra’s idea to have Kajol’s presence in the movie.

Reportedly, the song will be shot in Mumbai. Kajol will appear in one of the verses of a song filmed on Shahrukh and his leading lady Anushka Sharma. The setting of the track will be in Punjabi folk event, and Kajol will appear for few seconds before the song ends.

Sharukh Khan, Rani and Kajol turn into dogs

Celebrated director Karan Johar will soon be taking his movies to the next level, with Kuchi Kuchi Hota Hai. Does that title sound familiar? It is named after, the director’s debut film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which featured Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukherjee. The film went on to become a blockbuster.

And now, almost seven years later, the movie is to be remade. But this time it is not going to be a live-action movie but an animated version.

Another interesting aspect is that it won’t be featuring humans but dogs. Yes, the famous roles that Shahrukh, Kajol and Rani played in the original version will be played by animated dogs.

Karan has assured that his first animated production will have romance, music, emotion and much more, which are expected of his Dharma Productions. Bollywood’s really trying novel themes.

DUSSERA SPECIAL

DUSSERA SPECIAL

Mumbai: It’s an occasion that brings together the Mukherjee family every year. Actor Kajol with sister Tanishaa and cousin Rani Mukherjee visited the Mumbai Poddar school Durga Puja on Maha Ashtami. Tanishaa shared some childhood memories of the festival. "My grandmother first organized this puja so we try to keep the tradition going. It's important for me,” she said. One has only seen Rani and Kajol together in Karan Johar films. It’s not that easy you see these two star sisters share the same platform. "Rani is here after three or four years, because usually this is the right time for foreign shoots. But this year, she kept her dates free to be with us for puja,” said Rani's mother, Krishna Mukherjee.

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