the Asianindependent 1st to 24 Pages June Edition

16 June 2019
ENTERTAINMENT
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
‘I’VE NEVER BELIEVED
IN FAIRNESS CREAMS’
Kajal Aggarwal posted a series of pictures, which showed her freckles
in all glory; she says nobody can have flawless skin
Actor Kajal Aggarwal recently
took the internet by storm when she
shared her pictures without makeup
showing her freckles. The photoshoot
went viral in no time and in the last
three days, since it was shared, the
picture showing her freckles has got
over 7 lakh likes on Instagram where
she wrote, “... we live in a world
crazed by physical attraction or
because social media has swallowed
up our self-esteem in whom and what
it glorifies. Billions of rupees are
spent on cosmetics and beauty products
that promise you the perfect
body. Narcissism seems to exist
everywhere. Between those lines, we
try to join the crowd or feel left out.”
Talking exclusively to us, while
Kajal admits that in showbiz, actors
are always “defined by how they are
supposed to look” and “be the finest
and in your best hair and makeup”,
she asserts that “true beauty lies in
accepting ourselves for how lovely
we are”.
An established name in the south
Indian film industry, Kajal has had a
decent stint in Bollywood, too, with
films such as Singham (2011) and
Special 26 (2013). Talking about how
film industries expect actors to “wear
makeup all the time”, the 33year-old
actor adds, “That’s because it’s our
job and we get paid for that. Nobody
can have absolutely flawless skin
24x7 or an airbrushed or photoshopped
skin. We all have pigmentation
issues, sunburns, pimples, dark
circles and freckles. And we also have
a support system of hair and makeup
artistes who makes us look pretty.
And with airport looks becoming
popular, it has created too much pressure
on actors.” It takes a lot of
courage to show your flaws and
embrace freckles with elan. Kajal
says, “I’ve never believed in fairness
creams or the notion of having flawless
skin. While growing up, I was
also fascinated by how good-looking
celebrities were, but I was never
obsessed with being fair. As I grew
up, and ended up in the entertainment
industry, I realised it isn’t possible to
fight your hormones in order to not
get a pimple. I just believe in being
authentic and recognising the difference
between what is real and what is
not.” Though the actor “feels beautiful
with freckles” she quickly points
out that “in the West, people love
freckles”. For some actors, looks play
an important role in getting cast for a
role, but Kajal opines that “talent and
hard work come first”.
Asked if sh ever faced rejection
because of her looks or particularly
freckles, she shares, “Never. I’m
known for my craft and talent. I’ll not
be okay with somebody telling me
‘freckle aren’t looking good’. It’s part
of my personality and I can’t remove
it out of my system.”
‘Language was the
biggest challenge’
How did you get Shrimad
Bhagavad?
Initially, when I got the call I
wasn’t too sure about doing it.
Later, I read the script and went
for the mock shoot. I got to
know a lot of things about
Bhagavad Gita from this show.
What was your reaction
when you were offered the role
of Radha?
When the role was offeres, I
was skeptical if people would
accept me as Radha. Both my
director and creative director
have worked behind this character.
I hope my character would
be accepted by the audience and
our show will be a success.
How did you prepare yourself
for the character?
This is my first mythological
show. All the shows that I have
done so far, I portrayed characters
of either elite class or that of
a vulnerable girl. Preparing for
the role was easy being a
Gujarati as we worship Lord
Krishna. I have been taught
about him since childhood.
Any challenges you faced for
this role?
The biggest challenge was
the language. I am not an expert
in Hindi and it was quite difficult
because when you play a
god on the screen, you cannot
go wrong. Every single word
requires proper pronunciation.
We have language experts who
help us with the meaning and
pronunciation of words.
There are a lot of mythological
shows in the recent past.
What do you have to say about
this trend?
Yes, I have seen shows like
Ramayan and Radha Krishna in
the past, but, our show is totally
different from other mythological
shows. This is the first time
that a show would narrate
Shrimad Bhagavad.
Ajay Devgn’s Chanakya
to have TWO PARTS
Ajay Devgn is all set to join hands with
filmmaker Neeraj Pandey, who has directed
movies like M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story, A
Wednesday, Baby, among others.
Now, the director is gearing up to make a
story on Chanakya featuring Ajay Devgn. In a
recent interview, Ajay opened up about playing
Chanakya, “This film will be made in two parts
because we have a lot to say. Chanakya was
way ahead of his time. Whatever is happening
today, politically and otherwise, he has spoken
it all at that time. He had a vast knowledge and
we see whatever he had mentioned then,
happening worldwide now.”
Ajay also confirmed that the movie will go
on the floors later this year. “Director Neeraj is
busy writing the script. I said it could be made
in two parts, merely because summing up his
life and history will not be possible in one
part,” said the actor.
When Vicky and Taapsee
met RUSSELL PETERS
Bollywood celebrities
are habitual of people
asking them for pictures,
but there are times when
actors themselves line up
for another star to pose
for photos. Recently,
Bollywood’s who’s who
attended the show of
comedian Russell Peters
in Mumbai and among
them were Vicky Kaushal
and Taapsee Pannu. The
two actors, who were
seen together in
Manmarziyaan, were
excited to meet Russell
and enjoyed his show.
Later, Taapsee shared the
photo with Russell on her Instagram. As we can see in the photo, Taapsee, Vicky and
Russell are posing together. Taapsee is dressed in a black and red outfit whereas Vicky
is seen sporting a casual look in a black tee and jeans.
Russell is seen carrying off a white shirt with blue blazer and trousers. The actress
captioned the photo as, “Thicker than a Snicker” @russellpeters.”
What is Ranbir hiding?
Ranbir Kapoor surely has a huge fan
base but the actor isn’t really a fan of
social media and has kept himself away
from all social media pages. However, it
is believed that like many other celebs,
Ranbir has a secret Instagram page. A lot
of RK’s co-stars, friends and contemporaries
have also admitted that he is very
much active on Instagram and keeps
himself updated about what’s going on in
and around Bollywood.
During a recent event in Mumbai,
Ranbir was quizzed about the celebrities
he follows on his secret Instagram page.
Answering this question, the actor took
the names of his two exes –Deepika
Padukone and Katrina Kaif along with
his ladylove Alia Bhatt. RK also mentioned
that he follows Ranveer Singh and
his cousin Kareena Kapoor Khan, who
too has a secret Instagram page.
Telling us about Ranbir being on
Instagram, Katrina on a talk show had
said, “I know Ranbir has. And Ranbir, by
the way, was the person who showed me
how Instagram works.” Meanwhile, on
the work front, Ranbir will next be seen
in Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra alongside
Alia.