Exclusive: Kajol Picked Up Her Unique Brand of Feminism From Tanuja and Shobhna Samarth

Kajol has always spoken openly about the strong women who raised her, and in an exclusive chat with Jitesh Pillai on In the Ring with Filmfare, she shared a powerful life lesson that she picked up from her mother and grandmother.

She said, “The one thing that my mother and grandmother were both very clear on was never stop working. Whatever happens, never lose your identity.” But it wasn’t something they told her in words. It was in the way they lived their lives.

She shared how her grandmother Shobhna Samarth was still driving at 82. Living in Lonavala, she would drive herself to the market and back. Kajol’s mother, actress Tanuja, was independent, too. Even her great-grandmother Rattan Bai, till the very end, ran the kitchen with full control, sometimes cooking herself and always keeping a strict eye on the household.

Kajol said, “They were complete women,” adding that for her, feminism wasn’t about loud statements. “It’s about being whole, doing what you want without depending on anyone else. It’s lovely to have a partner to share the load, but if you don’t, it doesn’t make you any less.”

That quiet strength and deep sense of identity Kajol spoke of can be seen in her recent roles as well. In Maa and Sarzameen, both emotionally intense films, she plays powerful mother characters who carry pain, love, and powerful motherly instincts that portray the strengths of a mother. Her performance has received great appreciation, showing once again how she brings the factor of relatability into her characters.

Kajol said the women in her life taught her feminism not through grand words, but through example. “They showed me feminism in the kindest and nicest way possible.”

Having played strong female characters in films like Fanaa, My Name Is Khan, We Are Family, Tribhanga & her recent two releases, Maa and Sarzameen, Kajol proves yet again her solid range in portraying emotionally intense characters.

“When Women Uplift Each Other, Magic Happens” – Shantanu Maheshwari