Kajal Aggarwal

Kajal Aggarwal was born and brought up in a Punjabi family settled in Mumbai. Her father, Vinay Aggarwal is an entrepreneur in textile business and her mother Suman Aggarwal is a confectioner and also Kajal’s business manager. Kajal has a younger sister Nisha Aggarwal, a popular actress in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam cinema, who is now married to Karan Valecha (Managing director Golds gyms, Asia).

She studied at St. Anne's High School, fort and completed her pre-university education at Jai Hind College. She pursued her graduation in mass media, with specialization in marketing and advertising, from Kishinchand Chellaram College. Having harboured MBA dreams all through her growing up years, she intends on accomplishing a post-graduation degree soon.

Film debut and struggles (2004–08)

Aggarwal made her acting debut in the 2004 Bollywood film Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na, in which she had a minor supporting role as the friend of Diya. She signed veteran Tamil director Bharathiraja's Bommalattam, alongside Arjun Sarja. The film got delayed and released in late 2008.

Aggarwal made her debut in the Telugu film industry and played her first leading role in 2007 in Teja's Lakshmi Kalyanam alongside Kalyan Ram; it did not fare well at the box office. Later that year, she appeared in the Krishna Vamsi-directed Chandamama, which opened to positive reviews and became her first major successful film. In 2008, she had her first Tamil film release, Perarasu's action entertainer Pazhani, co-starring Bharath. She had two more Tamil releases that year with Venkat Prabhu’s comedy-thriller Saroja, in which she did a guest appearance, and Bharathiraja's investigative thriller Bommalattam. Although the former went on to become a commercial as well as a critical success, both films failed to boost her career as her roles were too insignificant. Her Telugu releases, Pourudu and Aatadista opposite Sumanth and Nitin, respectively, did not receive positive reviews; both were successful at the box office.

Public recognition and critical acclaim (2009–11)

Aggarwal had four releases in 2009. She first starred opposite Vinay Rai in the Tamil film Modhi Vilayadu, which garnered mixed reviews and was a financial failure. Then she appeared in the high budget Telugu historical drama Magadheera, alongside Ram Charan Teja, which saw her playing double roles for the first time. The film, directed by S. S. Rajamouli, received universal critical acclaim, while Aggarwal, particularly, was praised for her portrayal of a princess. Aggarwal was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in Telugu and nominated for the award for Best Telugu Actress in the South Scope Awards for her performance. It was highly commercially successful and broke several records, emerging as the highest-grossing Telugu film of all time. Magadheera's enormous success turned Aggarwal into one of the most sought-after actresses in Telugu cinema and catapulted her into the main foray of leading Telugu actresses. It was released again in Tamil as Maaveeran in 2011 and was also successful at the box office. Her subsequent releases Ganesh Just Ganesh, opposite Ram and Arya 2 opposite Allu Arjun received mixed reviews from critics, while her performance garnered positive feedback.

Kajal at IIJW, 2011

Aggarwal's first 2010 release was A. Karunakaran's romantic comedy Darling, which featured her alongside Prabhas and received favorable response, becoming a commercial success at the box office, with Kajal receiving her second Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. Later that year, Aggarwal appeared in the Tamil thriller film Naan Mahaan Alla opposite Karthi, which was based on a real-life incident and opened to unanimously positive reviews. It was a box office success. The chemistry between Karthi and Aggarwal was widely praised. It was later dubbed in Telugu as Naa Peru Siva in Andhra Pradesh and became a success there, too. Aggarwal's final release in 2010 was another romantic comedy Brindavanam opposite Jr. NTR and Samantha, which received critical acclaim and went on to become an economic success, while fetching Aggarwal the CineMAA Award for Best Actress.

In 2011, Aggarwal was paired with Prabhas for the second time in the romantic comedy Mr. Perfect, directed by Dasaradh. The film became a critical and commercial success. Kajal's performance as a conservative doctor and her chemistry with Prabhas won praise by critics. Kajal received her third Filmfare nomination for Best Actress in Telugu for her performance. In May, she appeared in Veera replacing Anushka Shetty and starring opposite Ravi Teja for the first time. The film received moderate reviews.

In July that year, Aggarwal made her Bollywood comeback after seven years with a leading role in the police story Singham, a remake of the same-titled 2010 Tamil film, opposite Ajay Devgn. It received mixed reviews from critics, as did her portrayal of a Goan girl Kavya Bhosle, with critics stating that Aggarwal had not much to offer in the hero-centric film. Komal Nahta noted that "Kaajal Aggarwal acts with effortless ease. Her performance is good", while Filmfare wrote that "Kajal who looks pretty and has done what she has been told to, but probably deserved a meatier debut". Nevertheless, the film was blockbuster at the box office. She was nominated for two awards for her performance: the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and the Zee Cine Award for Best Female Debut. Aggarwal finished 2011 with the Telugu film Dhada opposite Naga Chaitanya, which failed at the box office.

Commercial success (2012–14)

In early 2012, Aggarwal appeared in the Telugu gangster film Businessman alongside Mahesh Babu, directed by Puri Jagannadh. A Sankranthi release, it opened to positive reviews and turned out to be a blockbuster. Aggarwal's performance, though limited, was praised by critics.

Aggarwal made a comeback to Tamil cinema later that year with two high-profile action flicks. The first was Maattrraan directed by K. V. Anand and starring Suriya. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Her performance was well received; a review carried by The Indian Express summarised "Kajal does with utmost sincerity as the foreign language translator Anjali. It's this trait and her graceful demeanour which makes Kajal a pleasant watch".

The second was A. R. Murugadoss's Thuppakki, starring Vijay, in which she played the role of a boxer. It received mostly positive reviews from the critics and was a major commercial success, becoming the second Tamil film ever to collect over ₹100 crore (US$16 million). Her final release in 2012 was the Telugu romance film Sarocharu, opposite Ravi Teja for the second time. Although her performance was praised by critics, the film received poor reviews and did below-average business at the box office.

Kajal with her younger sister Nisha Aggarwal at Lakme Fashion Week, 2012

In early 2013, Aggarwal starred in V. V. Vinayak's action film Naayak opposite Ram Charan Teja and Amala Paul. Upon release, it received positive reviews and was a major commercial success. Also that year, she starred in the Hindi film Special 26, a heist drama directed by Neeraj Pandey. It went on to be a major critical and commercial success.

She later appeared in Srinu Vaitla's Baadshah opposite Jr. NTR for the second time in her career. Upon release critics appreciated her performance. The Times of India commented "Kajal is as usual an eye-candy. She's got a good role and has done justice to her performance. Also she looks stunning in the songs." The film was a financial success, cementing her position in Telugu cinema. Her final release in 2013 was All in All Azhagu Raja opposite Karthi which released on Diwali to negative reviews from critics.

In early 2014, Aggarwal starred in R. T. Neason's masala film Jilla, in which she played a police officer. She then featured in a cameo appearance in the Telugu action thriller film Yevadu. Her next release was Krishna Vamsi's family drama Govindudu Andarivadele which released in October to positive reviews. It grossed ₹416.5 million (US$6.5 million) at the box office and became one of the highest grossing Telugu films of 2014.

Setback and recent work (2015–present)

Kajal's first release of 2015 was in the Telugu action film Temper directed by Puri Jagannadh alongside NTR Jr. The film received positive response from critics and was a commercial success at the box office. Kajal played the role of an animal lover and on her performance, a critic from The Times of India said "Despite her limited role, the actress does well".

Kajal at South Filmfare Awards, 2015

Next, she featured in two Tamil films, working with industry-leading actors and directors. In July, 2015 she was seen as an entrepreneur in Balaji Mohan's gangster comedy film Maari opposite Dhanush. Critics rated as "regular masala movie" and Rediff noted "Kajal Aggarwal does have a significant role to play, but their onscreen chemistry just does not work". The film became an economic success. Her other release, Suseenthiran's action film Paayum Puli alongside Vishal received mixed reviews and failed at the Box office. Reviewers criticized her character stating "badly written and has nothing more to do with the script" She also did a cameo appearance in a bilingual romantic comedy film Size Zero.

The year of 2016 saw Kajal appear in two high profile Telugu films. She played the lead female role, marking her first collaboration with Pawan Kalyan in masala film Sardaar Gabbar Singh directed by K. S. Ravindra. Critical reaction on the film was mixed to negative though Kajal's performance was positive. Reviewer from Deccan Chronicle wrote "Kajal Aggarwal plays the perfect princess and looks beautiful and elegant. In fact, she is a breath air in the film". The film grossed ₹90 crore (US$14 million) worldwide. Her second Telugu release was Srikanth Addala's family drama Brahmotsavam opposite Mahesh Babu was a major critical and commercial failure. Among the female leads, her performance as a "new age girl" was well received despite the role having a limited screen time. She next starred opposite Randeep Hooda in the romantic drama Hindi film Do Lafzon Ki Kahani. The film received moderate reviews.

In April 2016 she signed another Telugu film directed by Teja starring opposite Rana Daggubati. In June 2016 she signed Vivegam starring opposite Ajith Kumar. In July 2016 she signed a Telugu film Khaidi No. 150 starring opposite Chiranjeevi for the first time in his 150th film.

In late July 2016, she signed to perform her first item number in Koratala Siva's Janatha Garage featuring Mohanlal, Jr Ntr, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Nithya Menen in the lead roles. Shooting of the song took place in mid August 2016. That song, titled "Pakka Local", was well received by the audience.Her next release Kavalai vendam which received mixed to positive reviews from critics but her performance was praised by critics.In December 2016 she signed Vijay 61 starring opposite Vijay.

Aggarwal's first 2017 release was Telugu-language action drama film Khaidi No. 150 starring opposite Chiranjeevi. It received mostly positive reviews and turned out to be a blockbuster. Aggarwal's performance, though limited, was praised by critics. In January 2017, a poll conducted by the Hyderabad Times,She topped the list of Most Desirable Woman 2016.

Aggarwal endorses a large number of popular brands. Before starting her film career, she had acted in commercials as a model. Aggarwal represents Celebrity Cricket League as a brand ambassadors. She is the brand ambassador for Lux in endorsing the beauty soap.

She endorses several retail and jewelry stores in south India — RS Brothers in Hyderabad, Sri Lakshmi Jewellery in Puducherry and AVR in Salem. She has featured in television advertisements along with Karthi endorsing Bru instant coffee. She has endorsed mobile brands like Samsung Mobile and has featured in advertisements for the Secunderabad based The Chennai Shopping Mall. In April 2012, Kajal was announced as the brand ambassador for Panasonic. In 2013, Aggarwal was signed by Dabur as the brand ambassador of its flagship hair oil brand DaburAmlaNelli. She also endorses Green Trends, a leading salon brand in India.

Filmfare Awards South

The Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by The Times Group to honour artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the South Indian film industry.

Nominated

• 2009 – Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Magadheera
• 2010 – Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Darling
• 2011 – Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Mr. Perfect
• 2014 – Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Govindudu Andarivadele

Filmfare Awards

Nominated

• 2012 - Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut- Hindi for Singham

South Indian International Movie Awards

Winner

• 2013 - SIIMA Award for Best Actress (Critics) - Tamil for Thuppakki
• 2013 - Youth Icon of South Indian Cinema

Nominated

• 2012 - SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Mr. Perfect
• 2012 - SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Businessman
• 2013 - SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Baadshah
• 2013 - SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Tamil for Thuppakki.
• 2014 - SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Govindudu Andarivadele

CineMAA Awards

The CineMAA Awards are presented annually by the Movie Artists Association Group to honour artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Telugu Cinema.
Winner

• 2011 - CineMAA Award for Best Actress - Telugu for Brindaavanam (2010)
• 2013 - CineMAA Award for Best Actress -Tamil for Thuppakki (2012)

Nominations

• 2010 - CineMAA Award for Best Actress - Telugu for Magadheera (2009)
• 2012 - CineMAA Award for Best Actress - Telugu for Mr. Perfect (2011)

Vijay Awards

Winner

• Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine-For Thuppakki (2012)

Nominated

• Vijay Award for Best Actress - For Thuppakki (2012)

Edison Awards

Nominated The Gorgeous Belle - For Maari (2015)

Winner The Gorgeous Belle of the year (2016)

Zee Telugu Apsara Awards 2016

Winner Fashion Icon of the year & Most Popular Female celebrity on Social Media

Winner - Femina Penn Shakti Awards 2013

Winner - Femina Power List South 2016

"Hyderabad Times Most Desirable Women 2016 " -Telugu