Kajal Aggarwal isn’t the type to let her guard down easily. She remains courteous during the interview, but at the same time, you can sense a certain wariness. Perhaps part of that has to do with how her latest release, Vivegam, is getting mixed reviews. But she isn’t perturbed. “This is the best phase of my career. I loved my character, Yazhini, in the film and could relate to it, except, of course, the married woman part.” Kajal picked the film because of its script.
“I am guided by my instinct when I pick roles. I think every role in Vivegam, including mine, was well-defined. It was wonderful working with Siva and Ajith sir. But working in sub-zero temperatures was a big test. I was mostly wearing cotton and linen saris, and the cold was biting,” she says.
She says she takes a hands-on approach in choosing the look for her on-screen characters. “Costumes are an integral part of any role and I work very closely with my stylists. Anu Vardan designed my outfits in Vivegam. She has a great sense of style, and made sure we weren’t going with regular saris.”
Vivegam review: The weakest of the Siva-Ajith films
Kajal’s very excited about Mersal that is releasing on Diwali. “This is my third project with Vijay and my role (doctor) will be in stark contrast to the one I did in Vivegam. It’s going to be terrific!” she says. “It’s a multi-starrer like most of my films. I don’t have any issue being a part of them as long as there is scope for my character.”
She was also part of the recent big Telugu release, Nene Raju Nene Mantri. “I think it’s one of my better films. I am grateful for the response I have received for my role. I’ll continue doing films in both Tamil and Telugu.” She reveals she’s accepted a part in an upcoming Telugu film starring Kalyan Ram, MLA. The actress, who hails from the North, is thankful that the South audiences have accepted her.
“This is a great phase in my career. My busy schedule in South has, however, resulted in my being unable to concentrate on Hindi films. I hope to do more films there,” she says. Kajal next has the Tamil remake of Queen in the pipeline.
“We begin shooting in October in Madurai. The overseas portions will be shot in London, Paris, and Amsterdam.”