If you expect to find actress Kajal Aggarwal worrying over a promise that director Bharathiraja failed to keep in Bommallattam or her barely noticeable scenes in Saroja, stop right away. For, the Mumbai-based media student, who awaits the release of her Modhi Vilayaadu, speaks of these roles with the same enthusiasm as she does of her forthcoming ventures where she plays a princess or an MNC employee.
“I have no guilt about playing such roles like I did in Saroja. Bommallattam, directed by Bharathiraja, was originally meant to be a Hindi film. I have no regrets that it is in Tamil. In fact, I'm glad I found a market in all four South Indian languages because of this,'' she says, adding that Bollywood isn't the Mecca for movies. “There's a lot to explore, be it in terms of the subject or the characters here,'' she reasons. As for Modhi Vilayaadu, it is her first Tamil film as a solo heroine. “My character is one of the wackiest. The girl is lively and brings the roof down with her antics in the movie's first half. From being trapped in Vinay's (who plays the lead) house as his servant, she ends up helping him on a serious mission. It has to be my cutest character ever,'' Kajal reveals. Directed by Saran, the film is slated for an early June release. The actress doesn't believe in being partial to one project.
So if she had to practise brandishing a sword for an imaginary scene in Modhi Vilayaadu, she has to learn archery and horse riding for her Telugu film, Magadheera. “It's a period flick and I play a princess. Set over 1,000 years ago, it is a love story about reincarnation. All the hard work that goes into becoming the princess has fascinated me,''' Kajal reveals, adding that she is working on two other Telugu flicks at the moment.
One of them is the Telugu blockbuster, Arya, which is being remade in Tamil with Dhanush. Kajal plays the heroine in the sequel. “The characters are more urban in the sequel than the first film. And like Arya, Arya 1 will be a super hit,'' she confidently promises, adding that her role is that of a happy-go-lucky girl, working for a multinational company.
The second Telugu film has a large children's cast. “There are 23 kids in this film and I play the leading lady. It has been planned for the summer break and is directed by debutant Saravanan,'' is all she is willing to say.
As for other Tamil projects, she admits that she hasn't come across really interesting projects. ``I do have offers, but after doing films and roles like these, I don't want to fade into obscurity. I want to take up a role that will show me in a new light,'' she insists. We hope producers are listening.
sharadha@epmltd.com