Mumbai: Kajol is one of the most celebrated actors in Bollywood today, but there was a time when she did not want to join the film industry.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Kajol revealed that her mother Tanuja’s struggles, while working as an actress, made her despise the industry.
“When I was growing up, I realised that she struggled a lot. She worked 24/7 and didn’t get paid even half as much as she should have been. It wasn’t a stable or continuous source of income. I remember thinking, ‘I never want to work that hard.’ She would work from seven in the morning till late at night, sometimes coming home only to bathe and head back to set. She did that for years when we were kids. Nobody could pay me enough to do that. That was the main factor that made me not want to be in films. Otherwise, with my mom, my dad, my grandfather…it was such a normal part of my life, so I was never starstruck by it,” she said.
Kajol’s revelation about her apprehensions of working in the film industry echoes with the recent demand of pay parity and fixed working hours for female actresses.
The actress further shared, now that she is a part of the industry, she makes sures that every project she signs respects her time and boundaries.
“If I like a script, there aren’t too many do’s and don’ts. But I have a few clear boundaries. I will not subject myself to scenes of molestation or rape. I don’t enjoy them as subjects, and I don’t feel they’re necessary to prove my worth as an actor,” she concluded.
Recently, Deepika Padukone was allegedly sidelined by several filmmakers following her demand for fixed working hours.
She was dropped from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Spirit’ and Nag Ashwin’s ‘Kalki 2’ for demanding fixed working hours in order to balance her personal and professional life.
