Bollywood star Kajol says ‘stardom is dead’

Kajol and Kriti Sanon, who will be seen in the ‘Netflix’ film ‘Do Patti’, graced the fourth session of ‘Expresso’ in Mumbai. During the insightful conversation, Kajol was asked about her opinion on the relevance of superstardom in this day and age. The actress explained that the concept of stardom is dead today and a major cause for it has been the advent of social media.

“Stardom is already dead. The idea is gone now, not because there aren’t stars or talented people anymore. The advent of social media was a huge switch. Stardom was such a charm - a star was like the forbidden fruit that wasn’t seen anywhere and if you wanted to see them then it was only on the big screen or buy that videotape and make that little bit of an extra effort to see these people who you loved so much. That extra effort you put in, if it’s suddenly available to you on your phone at the touch of a finger. It’s like familiarity breeds contempt, not to that extent, but yes, a huge part of it,” Kajol said.

She also added, “That’s why I say, if there is so much of it, it’s not that special anymore. I mean that, because I am on social media as well, so I include myself in that bracket too.”

Kajol also reflected on taking considerable amounts of sabbaticals in her career when she was asked if these breaks had a method to reboot the actor in her and then return to the silver screen. Responding to this, she said, “I am the laziest person. I am probably the least-worked actor. In another five to 10 years, Kriti would overtake my filmography for sure. I have done one film a year. My mom, great-grandmom and all women in my family had this theory that work should be a part of your life, not the whole of your life.”

“I wanted to take that time off, get married and have kids, which I did. Thankfully, I am still here and still relevant, so I am really grateful for everybody’s good taste. They seem to have been on the same page as me,” Kajol said in conclusion.