Kajol is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi cinema. Active since the early 1990s, she is regarded as one of the most successful and influential Hindi film actresses of her generation. She is known for her work in romantic dramas and family entertainers, and for her long-running on-screen pairing with actor Shah Rukh Khan. Kajol is the recipient of multiple Filmfare Awards and was honoured with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, by the Government of India in 2011.
| Full name | Kajol Devgan (née Mukherjee) |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 August 1974, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation | Actress, producer |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse | Ajay Devgn (m. 1999) |
| Children | Nysa Devgan, Yug Devgan |
| Parents | Shomu Mukherjee (father), Tanuja (mother) |
| Sibling | Tanishaa Mukerji |
| Notable honour | Padma Shri (2011) |
| Language of work | Hindi (primarily); also Tamil |
Kajol was born into the Mukherjee–Samarth family, a prominent lineage in Indian cinema. Her father, Shomu Mukherjee, was a Bengali filmmaker, and her mother, Tanuja, is a noted actress of Marathi origin who worked in Hindi and Bengali films. Her maternal grandmother was actress Shobhna Samarth, and her aunt is actress Nutan. Through her father's side, she is related to filmmakers and actors including Joy Mukherjee, Deb Mukherjee, Ashutosh Mukherjee, and Rani Mukerji (her cousin). Her younger sister, Tanishaa Mukerji, is also an actress.
She studied at St. Joseph's Convent boarding school in Panchgani, Maharashtra, but discontinued formal schooling to pursue a film career.
Kajol made her acting debut at the age of 17 in Bekhudi (1992), directed by Rahul Rawail. Her first major commercial success came with Abbas–Mustan's thriller Baazigar (1993), opposite Shah Rukh Khan, which became one of the year's biggest hits. She followed it with Yeh Dillagi (1994) opposite Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan, earning her first Filmfare Best Actress nomination.
Kajol achieved widespread acclaim with Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), co-starring Shah Rukh Khan. The film became a landmark in Hindi cinema, and her performance as Simran won her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She subsequently delivered a string of successful films, including Gupt (1997), for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role — the first woman to receive the award.
Her collaborations with Karan Johar produced two of her most popular films, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), both opposite Shah Rukh Khan, with the former winning her a second Best Actress Filmfare. Other notable films of this period include Ishq (1997), Dushman (1998), and Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain (1999).
Following her marriage in 1999, Kajol reduced her workload. She returned in Fanaa (2006), opposite Aamir Khan, which was a commercial success and won her a third Best Actress Filmfare Award. She then starred in My Name Is Khan (2010), again with Shah Rukh Khan, directed by Karan Johar, which earned her a fourth Best Actress Filmfare.
Kajol appeared in Dilwale (2015) with Shah Rukh Khan and made her Tamil-language debut in VIP 2 (2017). She has since appeared in films such as Helicopter Eela (2018), Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020) opposite husband Ajay Devgn, and Salaam Venky (2022). She made her web-series debut with The Trial (2023) on Disney+ Hotstar, an Indian adaptation of The Good Wife.
Kajol married actor Ajay Devgn on 24 February 1999. The couple have two children, daughter Nysa (born 2003) and son Yug (born 2010). The family resides in Mumbai.
Kajol has been associated with social initiatives related to children's literacy and nutrition, including campaigns by Pratham and Help a Child Reach 5. She has also engaged in business through Devgn Films, the production house run by her husband, and authored the children's book The Magic of the Lost Story.
Kajol is recognised as a defining figure of 1990s Hindi cinema, credited with reshaping the romantic heroine archetype through unconventional looks and confident performances. Her on-screen partnership with Shah Rukh Khan, spanning films from Baazigar to Dilwale, is considered among the most enduring pairings in Indian film history.