Kajol Mukherjee-Devgan

Kajol Mukherjee-Devgan represents the fourth generation of actresses in her maternal family. Her mother Tanuja, her aunt Nutan, her grandmother Shobana Samarth and her great-grandmother Rattan Bai were all stars of the silver screen in their day.

Kajol has her debut role in 1992 in "Bekhudi", directed by Rahul Rawail. The following year, she was to act in "Baazigaar", by Abbas Alibhai Burmawalla and Mastan Alibhai Burmawalla, opposite a certain Shah Rukh Khan. This on-screen match was meant to be, for they were to become Hindi cinema's leading romantic duo for over ten years.

They were directed by Rakesh Roshan, Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar respectively in « Karan Arjun » (1995), « Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge » (1995) and « Kuch Kuch Hota Hai » (1998), all of which are considered classics. Two of these films earned her the prestigious Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

The on-screen chemistry between Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan recalls that between mythic couples Raj Kapoor- Nargis and Hema Malini-Dharmendra, before them. The phenomenon had such a great impact that when she decided to take a break after her marriage with the famous actor Ajay Devgan and the shoot of "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham" by Karan Johar (2001), in the eyes of the audience, India's most popular actress remained impossible to replace. "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" by Aditya Chopra, for example, is still showing in Bombay since its release in 1995, which makes it the longest running film in Indian cinema history.

Kajol returned with success to the big screen this year with "Fanaa" by Kunal Kohli, opposite Aamir Khan.