Marriage does not mean end of career for an actress in Bollywood. And that has been the case for the longest time, says actress Kajol, who feels the hype around it is due to extra attention paid to the marital status of women.
“Married actresses have been working in films for a very long time. It’s just that they never came into focus and people never pointed them out and said, ‘Hey, you’re married and you’re working’,” Kajol told IANS in an interview from Mumbai.
The mother of two added: “You had a Sharmila Tagore, you had my mother (Tanuja), you had Saira Banu, you had so many actresses, who worked after they got married, in fact more after they got married than before they got married. Dimple Kapadia for that matter.
“So yes, there are actresses who have been working pre- and post-marriage and nothing changed in their entire imagery. There were a lot of actresses who did not work at all once they got married. And that is a possible choice, I believe.
“And, of course, there were some who just didn’t make it and chose to use marriage as an excuse. So, I don’t think I’m a path-breaker in that sense. Maybe because the spotlight is on me right now. But I didn’t do it first. I just followed in some very illustrious footsteps.”
Kajol decided to get married to actor Ajay Devgn at the peak of her career. Their wedding took place in 1999, and they have a 13-year-old daughter named Nysa and son Yug, six.
After the birth of her daughter in 2003, Kajol did a few films such as “Fanaa”, “U Me Aur Hum”, “My Name Is Khan”, “We Are Family” and “Toonpur Ka Superrhero”.
The actress, who has made her comeback as the face of Olay Total Effects, was last seen on the big screen in “Dilwale”.
