Actor Kajal Aggarwal has spent nearly two decades balancing careers in both the South Indian and Hindi film industries. In a recent chat with Shubhankar Mishra, she reflected on why she chose to prioritise South cinema over Bollywood, pointed out what the Hindi film industry could learn from the South, and even recalled the longest she has ever had to wait on set was for Salman Khan.
Kajal Aggarwal says Bollywood should learn punctuality
Kajal revealed that she didn’t do many Bollywood films because the quality of projects she was being offered in the South was far better than what she was getting in Hindi cinema. She said that the kind of roles she wanted were available to her in the South in abundance, and therefore she didn’t want to take up average roles in Bollywood.
When asked what Bollywood should learn from South cinema, Kajal said, “Bollywood should learn punctuality from the South. In Hindi films, nothing is on time. In the South, they work by the clock. I am used to reaching on time, and I like it that way. In Hindi, the timings are very off.”
Kajal, who worked with Salman Khan in Sikandar, revealed that she was excited to share screen space with the superstar because he had been her childhood crush. However, she added, “Salman Khan has made me wait the longest, and I was not used to it. I wondered what was happening. He came around afternoon or evening, so I would go to exercise in the gym, which was on set. I am used to the punctuality and discipline of South cinema.”
She further added that South cinema is now evolving to tell more liberal and coming-of-age stories centred around female protagonists. Kajal also said that the industry is no longer obsessed with focusing on female actors’ navels.
About Kajal Aggarwal and her upcoming films
Kajal made her acting debut with the Hindi film Kyun…! Ho Gaya Na (2004) before finding major success in South cinema. Over the years, she has become one of the most popular and highest-paid actresses in Telugu and Tamil cinema. Kajal rose to fame with blockbuster films such as Magadheera (2009), Darling (2010), Mr. Perfect (2011), Businessman (2012), Thuppakki (2012), Mersal (2017) and Vivegam (2017). In Bollywood, she is known for films such as Singham (2011), opposite Ajay Devgn, and Special 26 (2013), starring Akshay Kumar.
She will next be seen in The India Story. Helmed by Chettan DK, the film also stars Shreyas Talpade in the lead role. Backed by co-producers Swati Vinayak Saindane, Anita Jadhav, Vinayak Saindane, Kalpesh Shah, Devyani Khorate and Prem Joshi, and presented by Zee Studios, the film is scheduled to release on July 24.
Kajal also has Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana in the pipeline. The epic also stars Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol, Rakul Preet Singh, Ravie Dubey and Anupam Kher, among others. The first part is scheduled to release in theatres on Diwali 2026, followed by the second part on Diwali 2027.