Never worked for 20 hours, producers were understanding: Kajol on debate over work hours in industry

Hindustan Times

a day ago

Mumbai, Actor Kajol says maintaining work-life balance has always been a priority since she started acting in the 1990s and the journey became easier with the support of her family as well as the producers.
"I was one of the few people who worked on one film at a time; I didn't do 4 films at the same time . I used to finish one film, then start another. I didn't work for 20 or 30 hours. I was always very clear that we would work a certain amount only, and my mom also backed me up big time on it," the 50-year-old actor told PTI in an interview.
Actor Deepika Padukone's alleged exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's "Spirit" after the two did not agree over an eight-hour working shift among other conditions has sparked a discussion around shooting hours in the industry.
Kajol, who next appears in horror thriller "Maa", said she had the same discussion after she gave birth to her first child, Nysa, with husband Ajav Devgn.
"I remember having this discussion, and I think most producers are so , they don't even think twice," the actor said.
Sharing her past experiences, Kajol said whenever she faced challenges on the personal front, the producers of her movies were quite "understanding" and allowed her to leave the sets early when necessary.
"I remember shooting for 'U Me Aur Hum' , and my dad was in the hospital at that time, and Nysa was two years old, so it was a double whammy. But Ajay, being the producer, managed it; he worked around it to make sure that I went home early, so I could go to the hospital. So, we managed that work-life balance, as you put it.
"Even when I was doing 'Fanaa' , everybody worked around very comfortably without kind of making it an issue or even writing it in the contract, for that matter. So, I've had wonderful experiences. Most of the time, people do understand, and they work around you."
Kajol has a slew of projects in the pipeline, beginning with "Maa", which is directed by Vishal Furia, who is known for his work on "Lapachhapi", "Criminal Justice" and "Chhorii".
The movie narrates the story of a mother who becomes Goddess Kali to end a demonic curse rooted in fear, blood, and betrayal.
Kajol said 'Maa', written by Saiwyn Quadras, started out as a thriller, and gradually transformed into a full-blown horror movie.
'When I agreed to do the film and heard the concept, I loved it. I'm a full mythological buff. I love our Indian mythology, we've amazing characters, stories, ideas and viewpoints, whether it is karma or dharma.
"When they came to me, I thought it was very apt that this story is coming out at a time when they say that we are living in the Kalyug. The timing is perfect,' she added.
Kajol said she is someone who doesn't lean towards horror films and credits Furia for convincing her to do the project.
'The scripts that I was approached with didn't have the right feel and vibe to it. Though I haven't read too many horror scripts, of the few that I have been offered, they have not been of the greatest calibre.
"The horror films that were made earlier never concentrated on their script. It was about the supernatural element, blood, gore, how to scare people, etc was given more importance than the story and characters,' said the actor.
'Maa', which is slated to be released in cinema halls on June 27, is produced by Devgn. She said Devgn played a pivotal role in shaping up the story of 'Maa', and even shot some portions of the climax.
'He is a great producer. He is involved on the script level, VFX and the action. He did shoot parts of the climax as well,' Kajol said, adding, she has always had a great 'creative process' working with her actor-filmmaker husband.
'Maa' also stars Indraneil Sengupta, Kherin Sharma and Ronit Roy. It is presented by Jio Studios and Devgn Films, and is produced by Jyoti Deshpande and co-produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak.
Besides "Maa", Kajol will also feature in action thriller "Maharagini" with Prabhudeva and Naserruddin Shah, Karan Johar's upcoming home production "Sarzameen", and season two of her series "The Trial".
The actor working on back-to-back movies turned out to be an "interesting" experience.
"I shot them back-to-back. I finished work on 'Sarzameen' and 'Maharagini'. Right now, the current thing is 'Maa' and then 'The Trial' season two.
"I've been working for like 34 years now, and, I feel like in my 33rd year, I've worked more than I have in the last many years. So, it's been quite an interesting year," Kajol said.