We still have a little bit of stereotype attached: Kajal Aggarwal

Kajal Aggarwal said that female actors in the South Indian film industries are trying hard to change the system, which often offers female stars ‘strong’ parts once they are married or become mothers. Kajal, who predominantly appears in Telugu and Tamil films, said that things are different down South as compared to the Hindi film industry.

In an interview with ‘Galatta Plus’, journalist Baradwaj Rangan noted how the Hindi film industry will offer a role of an action heroine to Deepika Padukone in Fighter and a leading romantic part to Alia Bhatt in ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani’, which isn’t the case in the Tamil and Telugu film industries, where a married woman will play a ‘strong’ role like the one Kajal plays in her latest, ‘Satyabhama’. Kajal is playing a cop in the film. They also spoke about Vidya Balan’s ‘Tumhari Sulu’, where her character wore her sexuality proudly but that wasn’t the case when the film was remade in Tamil as ‘Kaatrin Mozhi’, starring Jyothika.

When asked the reason, Kajal said, “We still have a little bit of stereotype attached. I am hoping that we get rid of it soon. I also feel it is now that this entire new generation of actresses are married and have children.” Baradwaj then pointed out how the Hindi film industry has had examples in Sharmila Tagore and Hema Malini, who continued to act in such parts after marriage, but it hasn’t happened to that extent in the South film industries.

Kajal also insisted that as moviemakers, they need to step up and present such stories to their audience where women can be seen in varied parts. Not blaming the audience, Kajal admitted that they are ready for it, but the makers need to catch up.

Kajal, who got married in 2020 to Gautam Kitchlu and became a mother two years later, said that things are changing today and lauded Nayanthara for still managing to headline romantic as well as action parts on her ‘own terms’.

“If we are offered, we would take the meatier roles, maybe the pivotal roles in films. Things are changing.”