Kajol, the ravishing actress of Bollywood, has been applauded over years by critics as well as viewers for her dramatic brilliance in various films. She is regarded as one of the most successful female actors of the film industry and holds the record of winning the highest number of Filmfare Best Actress Award. She stepped into the Bollywood arena at a very young age, soon earning recognition amongst the powerful actresses with her simple looks, charming persona and deft acting. Be it a thriller or a romantic flick, Kajol has set a paradigm of versatility through her notable performances and has ruled over the industry gaining popularity, that enhanced with each of her endeavours. For her contributions in the entertainment world, she has been honoured with the fourth highest civilian award of the country, Padma Shri, in the year 2011.

Early Life of Kajol
Kajol was born on 5th August of the year 1974 in Mumbai city to a family of Bengali-Marathi descent. Her father, Shomu Mukherjee, was a famed film director and producer and her mother, Tanuja, is a renowned Indian actress. Tanisha Mukherjee, a Bollywood actress, is her younger sister. Her great grandmother Rattan Bai, her maternal grandmother Shobhna Samarth and maternal aunt Nutan were also a part of Hindi film industry. Film producers Deb Mukherjee and Joy Mukherjee were Kajol`s paternal uncles whereas her paternal grandfather, Sashadhar Mukherjee was a well known filmmaker. Her cousins Mohnish Behl, Sharbani Mukherjee and Rani Mukherjee are popular Bollywood personalities while Ayan Mukerji, Kajol`s another cousin, is a Bollywood director.

Kajol did her schooling from St Joseph Convent boarding school in Panchgani where she was actively involved in the extra-curricular activities like dancing. She developed a keen interest in reading fiction during her school days. However at the age of 16, she dropped out from school to pursue a full time career in the field of acting.

Career of Kajol
Kajol began her acting career at a very young age of sixteen, while she was still studying at school. In the year 1992 Kajol stepped into the tinsel town with the release of her first film, Bekhudi which was a commercial failure. Her performance however marked her presence in the industry and she was offered the film Baazigar. Kajol came into the limelight with the film in the year 1993. Subsequently she appeared in two more films namely Udhaar Ki Zindagi and Yeh Dillagi. The year 1995 marked two major commercial successes of the actress with the movies Karan Arjun and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. Her co-actor in both the movies was Shahrukh Khan with whom Kajol shared a very good on-screen chemistry. The couple has delivered some of the largest box office hits of Bollywood. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is considered to be one of the most successful films of all time. The film was so well accepted that a cinema hall in Mumbai carried on the screening of this film for a period of seven years at a stretch. It was a huge critical success too and won ten Filmfare Awards with a huge appreciation for the actress`s performance. In her following ventures, Hulchul and Gundaraj, she starred opposite Ajay Devgan.

The turning point in Kajol`s acting career arrived in 1997 with the thriller Gupt: The Hidden Truth which was widely applauded by the critics. With her performance, she became the first woman to be nominated in and win the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. Kajol`s acting proficiency markedly enhanced with time which became evident with the movies like Dushman and Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya. For the former, Kajol received overwhelming critical praises. Afterwards Kajol once again shared screen with her husband Ajay Devgan in few films like Ishq, Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha and Dil Kya Kare. In the year 1998 she tasted another flurry of success with Karan Johar`s directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai alongside Rani Mukherjee and Shahrukh Khan. The film was a worldwide blockbuster and marked one of the finest performances of the actress. Other popular films in which Kajol appeared include Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain, Raju Chacha, Khatti Kuch Meethi, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and others which were also well received by the viewers.

Kajol took a leave from full time acting for a period of 5 years after the film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Kunal Kohli`s romantic thriller Fanaa, released in the year 2006 was a comeback of Kajol. The film was a superhit at the box office and Kajol once again marked her presence among the leading ladies of Bollywood. Next she starred in her husband Ajay Devgan`s directional debut U Me Aur Hum and bagged a nomination at the Filmfare Award. In the year 2009 Kajol paired with Shahrukh khan in the film My Name is Khan while in 2010 she acted in We are Family alongside Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal. She also starred in 2010 3D animation film Toonpur Ka Super Hero. Not only in Hindi, Kajol has stepped into the arena of regional film industry as well. She also has been awarded with the Filmfare Best Actress Award South for her famous Tamil film. It is named as Minsaara Kanavu Priya. Sapnay is the Hindi version of the same film.

Other Ventures of Kajol
Kajol has been a part of several concert tours alongside Shahrukh Khan and has performed worldwide. She also appeared as a judge in Zee TV`s family reality show, Rock-N-Roll Family. She is also actively involved in philanthropic endeavours associated with women and children. She is associated with Shiksha, an NGO for children`s education and had launched a campaign in 2009 for supporting the cause. In 2011 she partook in a fashion show for generating funds for the Cancer Patients Aid Association. She is also the international goodwill ambassador and patron of The Loomba Trust which is a charity organization for supporting widows and their children. In the year 2012 Kajol was appointed as the brand ambassador of a charity organisation for children called Pratham. She also starred in a short film based on the education and literacy, alongside the children of Hanuman Basti Primary School in Mumbai.

Personal Life of Kajol
Kajol married the renowned Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan on 24 February 1999 in a traditional Maharashtrian style ceremony. The couple is blessed with a daughter named Nysa, born on 20 April 2003, and a son named Yug, born on 13 September 2010.

Achievements of Kajol