Like a fresh breath, Kajol wafted into the film world that thrived on predetermined codes of demeanor. She carries the halo of spontaniety. Kajol swept across millions of hearts with her sprightly gait. Her vivaciousness and frisky personae proved contagious and singularly her own in the contemporary scene, though she is quite a reminder of her star mother Tanuja. Tanuja was well known for her buoyancy in her hey days. Kajol inherits a rich heritage of talents from star grandma Shobana Samarth, mama Tanuja and aunt Nutan-all of whom have had an illustrious career in the national mainstream cinema. Her cousins Rani Mukherjee and Mohith Bhel are also into the film world and among the third generation, Kajol has made a distinctive indent into the Hindi film industry.

Kajol embarked in to the tinsel world with her maiden venture that was a launch pad for her co-stars in the film-Shah Rukh Khan and Shilpa Shetty as well. The film was titled 'Baazigar' and was as unconventional as its lead pair. Her arrival spelt sensation and signing her seemed a safe bid to the producers. A couple of films thereafter made fairly good business. Significantly, her ensuing film with Shah Rukh Khan - 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Lejayenge' -broke all the earstwhile records,thereby gearing Kajol on to the centre stage to become the number 1 heroine of '96. She won the best actress award from Filmfare for her performance in the film. She signed a string of ventures thereafter.

But she attained stardom at a time when her wedding bells were poised to ring with Ajay Devgan with whom she was going steady. She acted in 'Pyar to Hona Hi Tha' and 'Ishq' with him. Her superstardom came on the wake of her decision to get in to matrimony and made it inevitable to put off her wedding plans for the time being. Quite mysteriously, she went in to hybernation last year (some attribute it to her health) and very few films of her's were released in '97. A multi-starrer titled 'Ishq' in which she played the lead opposite her real-life sweetheart Ajay Devgan was the only film that fetched box office returns. She also acted in 'Sapnay'-the movie which was made to commemorate AVM's Golden Jubilee Year in the industry. Though the film recorded an average run-Kajol as usual, flittered around in the chart busters of music channels with her "avara bhanvre" song that brought alive Kajol's innate freshness. But what took people by surprise is her latest release 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'-which has put her back on the top of the rating-list as the film is the biggest hit of 1998, mesmerising audiences across the nation with a collection that few films have seen in recent times. Kajol-Shah Rukh combination has now become a mascot for gold mine.

Kajol has come to stay in the industry as a mainstream actress with an inimitable charm and liveliness coupled with the talent that renders eye-filling performances. Her reel life image is not diverse from her real-life image. She is as outspoken and lively as she seems in her characters in the films. Bold and beautiful-Kajol has won millions of hearts with her impish vivacity within a short span. She adorns the numero uno thorne once again and rightly so.