Kajol: I don’t see an ageist issue in Bollywood, it is all in your head

Ageism is a conversation that has been going on around film industries across countries. For Kajol, who has been a part of the Hindi film industry for 29 years, says while part of it is true, there are also instances which prove that female actors are not discriminated against.

“The reality is that we had Sharmila Tagore, Sadhna, Nargis Dutt, who were working way after the time they were married and were like in their 40s. Yes, I agree today the time is such that everybody has a binocular view on it. Today we are suddenly looking at things which we never noticed before. But this was all happening earlier as well. Even my mother (Tanuja) never stopped working,” she points out.

Kajol says how there are so many female actors who have been working non-stop but people these days are making a big deal out of it right now. “I am here and I am working. I am very proud of it. I don’t see an ageist issue in Bollywood. I never did. I think it is in your head. It is the question of ‘Do you believe that you are too old for this? Or do you believe that you cannot carry it off? Why can Aamir Khan at the age of 40 do a 3 Idiots and play a college student, why can’t I? He believed he could and of course with the help of special effects,” she says with a laugh.

The 46-year-old firmly believes that as long as you don’t adhere to and give in to people’s perception about you, things work out.

“It is more about people have convinced you about what you can you do and what you can’t do. I have honestly never believed in anyone else opinion besides myself, so that is good,” she adds.

Kajol, whose career is a proof that there has never been a dearth of roles for her, is riding high on the good response to her recent release, Tribhanga on Netflix. In the Renuka Shahane-directed film, she plays an actor and says how she did inject her own experiences into the character of Anu.

“Also, Renuka is an actor herself, and understands the pressures of being an actor and in the limelight. So we both kind of shared in that bit and that aspect of it. But Anu’s character is very much more, being a star is just a part of who is she is. The film is about relationship and mothers and daughters and how everybody is screwed up. There is no supposed parenting in this world and no supposed perfect family in this world,” shares the actor.

Talking about the various aspects of the film which are important life lessons Kajol says, “You think you are the only person going through something in the world and then when you open up, you happen to have an honest conversation with somebody and you realize that that person is also in the same boat as you, you are not the only one. You feel that sense of loneliness and wonder why is this happening to me. That is what the film highlighted.”