Girl, uninterrupted

Kajal Aggarwal hits the comedy track with All in All Azhaguraja. She talks to Udhav Naig about her career that's on an upswing

Kajal Aggarwal

In a short span, Kajal Aggarwal has managed to work with the biggest stars and directors in the Hindi, Tamil and Telugu film industries. After almost four years, the actor once again teams up with Karthi in All in All Azhaguraja directed by Rajesh, who is known for his light-hearted films. Does Kajal get to play an interesting role in All in All Azhaguraja ? “I play a small-town girl, who is strong, independent and drives her own car,” she says.

It seems Kajal is trying to pick up from where she left in Thuppakki , a Tamil film that got closest to having a modern, liberal Indian woman as its female lead. As I point this out to her, she casually replies, “As society changes, cinema will reflect those changes.”

Like all films of Rajesh,

All in All Azhaguraja too will be a comedy. But, unlike his other films,

All in All Azhaguraja, says Kajal, wouldn't just be about quirky one-liners, the kind you get to see in stand-up comedy acts. “The director has departed from his usual way of conceiving comedy. It is mostly ‘situational’ in this film.”

What does she look for in a character? “I just try to see if I relate to the role and the script. I follow my heart when choosing my roles,” she says.

Not only is she impressed with the way the comedy sequences have been written, she also admits to having taken into account the fact that Rajesh’s films have good-looking people. “I saw Oru Kal Oru Kannadi and liked it a lot. I like the way he beautifully showcases his heroines on screen,” she says.

Four years ago, when Karthi and Kajal were seen together in

Naan Mahaan Alla , the critics raved about the way the two sizzled on screen. How has life as an actor changed for the duo in the last four years? “We both have matured as actors. We have a lot of creative differences on the set, but that’s what I like about working with him.”

While comedy is a safe bet, Kajal feels the larger trend has been to use it in an offensive manner. “I don’t like comedy that puts someone down. I try to avoid it.”

In fact, the actor says she has refused to do things she thought were unnecessary for the film or morally incorrect. “For instance, there was a scene where I had to get ready as a bride. I politely refused to shoot for it. If I don’t feel right about something, I won’t go for it.”

This is one of the many things that Kajal has learnt over the years. She is no more a young starlet clueless about cinema. “Though I don't know enough to do a PhD in cinema studies, I have reached a stage where I can understand how my character develops in a script. When I entered the scene, I knew very little. Today, I am in a position to understand movie-making and its technical aspects,” says the girl from South Mumbai.

Kajal’s next after All in All… will be Vijay’s Jilla . Unwilling to reveal much about the film, she says, “It won’t tread the same line as Thuppakki . A different film, watch out for it,” she smiles.