Nysa and Yug are her life and she will go to any length for her children. But Kajol is unforgiving when it comes to discipline as she believes that today’s children lack manners and channeling. “Parenthood doesn’t mean one only showers affection on the child. It means nurturing the child into becoming a good human being,” the sultry actress says. DEEBASHREE MOHANTY speaks with Kajol about parenting tips and what makes her one of the industry's most sought after actress.
She is feisty and bindaas. She is known for her I-don’t-care-about-what-the-world-thinks-about-me attitude. She feels complete as a woman and has no regrets about retiring from mainstream cinema at the peak of her career.
Meet Kajol, 42, very focused and very herself. “I have a wonderful husband. The most caring in-laws, two darling children and thousands of fans who want to be me. Can there be anything more satisfying than this?” she asks you. Kajol lost 23 kg after her second child Yug was born, visits the parlour more often than not and is actively engaged in advertising, but the one thing she doesn’t want to change about herself is herself.
“I live for my family. Nothing can take priority over that. My children are my biggest assets and I will go to any length for them. Sometimes, people tell me that I am too strict with them but I am yet to meet a mother who doesn’t believe in disciplining her child. Is there one?,” she asks you just to confirm.
A strict disciplinarian, Kajol is not shy to admit that her children are terrified of her — in a good way. “Ajay has a 40-day outdoor schedule for each of his films. If he does three films a year it means he is out of the house for most part of the year. In that case, I am their only guardian and the onus is on me to draw a line for my children,” she says.
Ask her if she was a difficult child and pat comes the reply. “I was head strong and had a massive ego. But I was scared of my mother. She would spank me if I did wrong. When she was around, I would be on my best behaviour but once she turned her back, I was the devil,” the actress tells you with a laugh.
Have things changed now? “I am known to be fierce and feisty, and also slightly cranky. I don’t think I would be me if I changed all that. But yes, I have mellowed my anger and am in control of my emotions, something I have achieved through yoga and meditation,” she tells you.
She hates watching mediocre movies that Bollywood is churning out these days but there are a few she has loved.
It is little past lunch time but the diva is happy with her soup and salad which she usually has after 3 pm. A big believer in wholesome breakfast, she wants this meal to be unusual. It changes according to her family’s moods, she says. “We eat together so there is a healthy mix of parathas, deep fried goodies, halwa puri, yoghurt (for my kids), cornflakes (Ajay’s favourite) and brown bread with Nutralite butter. On other days, there are pies and buns. It is like a normal breakfast scene in my family in which everyone’s preference is kept in mind. I like planning ahead for meals so we decide at dinner about the next meal. That way, I am prepared,” she says. Of course, south Indian fare is the most difficult assortment at home. “I love idlis but I hate to make them,” she confesses.
As for lunch, the actress who used to be a big fish fan has consciously stepped on to the health wagon. Ask her about the need for this delayed makeover and pat comes the reply. “In my prime, I never gave it a serious thought. My directors never insisted I thin my eyebrows or shape them, nor did it matter to them if I had a few inches over the zero figure mark. So, I really didn’t care. The focus was entirely on the script and acting. But today, I have noticed that equal weightage is given to looks and oomph. I may or may not subscribe to that view but I would like to change with time. Also, I feel nice about the way I look now. So I am going to carry on with my routine,” the actress, who doesn’t go a day without her cardio workouts, says.
There is yet another reason why she has given in to dressing up and applying make-up before she steps out. “I have the time now. My children are old enough and don’t need my constant attention. So, I have the time to look beautiful. Back then, my make-up was limited to the bare minimum,” Kajol recalls.
Her only advice to people who desperately want to lose weight is not to depend on instructors or weight loss technologies on the shelf. “The day Yug was born, I decided to get back into shape. I had become lethargic and I hated it. That is when I took to weight training seriously. It is just a matter of putting yourself in a strict routine and following it as if there is no way out. It took me exactly 10 days to get used to a strict diet schedule,” the actress who lost eight kg in a month after her delivery, says.
But does she never binge? “I go out at least thrice a week, mostly with friends with whom I have a lot catching up to do. I eat my regular stuff at home before stepping out. It is the company not the food that matters. I am lucky to have a circle which thinks on the same lines. They don’t force me to have cheese popcorn during a movie. It may seem like a small thing but it is these little things that matter. They constitute the main picture,” she asserts.
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