Kajol has become increasingly selective with her work over the years. In her last film, the murder mystery Do Patti, she played a cop for the first time. And now, in her upcoming film Maa, she is stepping into the horror genre for the first time. While Kajol is thrilled to explore different genres and take on diverse roles, she recently shared that her kids — daughter Nysa and son Yug — want her to predominantly do comedy roles, as they don’t want to see her cry on the big screen.
Kajol even expressed doubt that Nysa might not sit through Maa, as she isn’t a fan of the horror genre. “She is like me, doesn’t like horror,” Kajol told The Hindustan Times.
Speaking about how her kids compare her to her husband, actor Ajay Devgn, and his films, Kajol shared how her children always have strong opinions on her work. She said, “They are very clear about it: ‘We can’t watch you crying on screen; you should do films like papa does. Do Golmaal!’ They want me to do films that only make them laugh, and there is nobody crying, no glycerine is used, and nothing happens to me. I wonder what is this film where nothing happens to me, and I have to do nothing. Why am I in this film?”
Kajol revealed that she chose to star in Maa because the film delves into mythology, and since she is a “mythology buff,” she was immediately drawn to the project. “Our country has such wonderful and fabulous stories and one of my favourites is Maa Kali and Raktabeej’s story,” she said.
While Kajol herself was comfortable with working in the horror genre, she confessed that people around her weren’t too thrilled about it. “I wasn’t that unsettled by it, probably because I did it. But everyone around me had the same reaction (makes disgusted face). They said, ‘I can’t see you like this’. But that’s what horror is, and that’s why it will be particularly effective.”
Maa is directed by Vishal Furia. It also stars Ronit Roy, Indraneil Sengupta, and Kherin Sharma in pivotal roles. Set in the same universe, the film is a spinoff of Ajay Devgn’s 2024 film Shaitaan.
