ON A HAPPY HIGH
The current numero uno, Kajal Agarwal talks to Hyderabad Times about her streak of successes, Bollywood venture, Tollywood friendships and her style quotient
Tollywood treats actresses like the latest fashion trends — a new one every season. But Kajal Agarwal is one of the few female stars, who has managed to become a familiar face in the minds of Telugu viewers, amidst a sea of newcomers. Still basking in the success of “Mr Perfect”, “Brindavanam” and “Darling”, the actress is on a career high — she now gets to romance biggies Mahesh Babu and Pawan Kalyan in her future projects, not to forget her meaty role opposite Ajay Devgan in her Bollywood debut, “Singham”.
After a hectic shooting schedule for the same, the actress is just back in town. “It is wonderful working with Ajay Devgn. I’m happy I’m debuting with him in “Singham,” said Kajal, who laughs off rumours about her shifting base to Bollywood. “I love Telugu films too much to ever think of moving. I start missing Hyderabad when I’m away for shooting. I will do Hindi films only if the scripts excite me. And since there are a lot of South Indian technicians working in this Hindi flick, I felt comfortable,” she adds.
Back ‘home’ in Tollywood, she is busy enjoying her star status, doing movies with all the top stars. “I am in a very happy place right now. Three of my films have been back-to-back successes. If people think I am number one, I would like to say a big thank you for the compliment. But frankly, I don’t believe in the dirty number game. I compete with myself. I’m glad I got to work with most of the young actors. I share a great rapport with all of them, be it Tarak, Prabhas or Allu Arjun.”
Prabhas, a little more than anyone perhaps? “Just because I did two films with him, why should I be linked with him. I am single, but I really don’t have time to ‘mingle.’ I share a cordial relationship with all in the industry, but all my true buddies are in Mumbai,” clarifies Kajal, who also keeps the T’wood girls at bay. “We actresses exchange courtesies when we meet at events, but I never discuss my work with them. Samantha and Tamannaah are the only ones I can count as friends.”
Bringing the focus back to work, Kajal is all excited about her project with Mahesh Babu. “When I entered Tollywood, “Pokiri” was the first Telugu film I watched. From then on, I wanted to work with the Puri-Mahesh combo,” she said.
So content is she with her current career path that even the brickbats she got for her last film, “Veera” doesn’t deter her. “I signed up for the movie because I liked the character, ‘Chitti.’ For the first time, I did a ‘mass’ role. It was an experiment, my job was to work hard. The fate of a film is not in our control,” she says.
Kajal is also fast earning the tag of being one of the most stylish actresses in T’wood. “I try to experiment with my look in all my films. For now, I’m working with designer Vikram Phadnis. I do most of my shopping in Mumbai,” she says.
