Kajal Aggarwal has successfully built a career across both Bollywood and the South Indian film industries. While she has worked with several leading Hindi film stars, she has noticeably reduced her Bollywood appearances in recent years, more so after embracing motherhood. In a recent interview, the actor explained that her decision stems from a desire to prioritize meaningful roles over simply increasing the number of projects.Kajal shared that the kind of opportunities she was receiving in South cinema aligned far better with her creative aspirations than those being offered in Bollywood. She said in an interview with Shubhankar Mishra, “The quality of work I was getting down South was not something I was getting in Bollywood. The roles that I wanted – my priority was quality over quantity, and South was giving me such roles in abundance, so why would I do average roles in Bollywood? My priority was qualitative cinema. Language was never a barrier for me. I enjoy the craft of moviemaking. It took me seven movies to fall in love with my craft, but once I fell in love, I was very committed.”The actor also highlighted a key difference between the two industries: professionalism when it comes to schedules. According to Kajal, punctuality is an area where Bollywood could take inspiration from the South. “Bollywood should learn punctuality from the South. In Hindi films, nothing is on time. In the South, they work by the clock. I am used to reaching on time, and I like it that way. In Hindi, the timings are very off.”Asked about the actor who kept her waiting the longest on a film set, Kajal named Salman Khan. Recalling the experience, she said, “Salman Khan has made me wait the longest, and I was not used to it. I wondered what was happening. He came around afternoon or evening, so I would go to exercise in the gym, which was on set. I am used to the punctuality and discipline of South cinema.”Reflecting on the changing landscape of South Indian cinema, Kajal observed that female characters are now being written with greater depth and independence. She believes the industry has moved away from outdated portrayals of women and is embracing more progressive storytelling. “South is now learning to write liberal roles for female protagonists from Bollywood and also coming-of-age roles. They are no longer obsessed with female navels. I always drew the line and never did such roles. You are not throwing fruits on my navel, boss!”On the professional front, Kajal Aggarwal is gearing up for the release of The India Story. She is also part of Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana Parts 1 and 2, where she will portray Mandodari.
