By Haricharan Pudipeddi
Chennai, Feb 1 (IANS): Stardom comes with its own baggage, believes leading actress Kajal Aggarwal, who works in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. She says the expectations that come with being a "star" are not easy to live up to.
"The expectations are very high, especially with the choice of films," Kajal told IANS in an interview.
"People expect you to be always right and choose films that'll strike a chord with them and I think it's almost impossible. When I choose a film, which I do instinctively, I'm not hundred percent sure it's going to work or not," she said.
Despite the pressure, Kajal, who has been working for nearly a decade, has stayed in the top league with hits such as "Thuppakki", "Jilla" and "Yevadu". She credits that to the encouragement she's got from people of all the industries.
"Sometimes you're well received in one industry but not so much in the other. I'm lucky as I've been unanimously accepted everywhere I go," she added.
A star's life has its own share of merits and demerits. While Kajal nods in agreement, she says there isn't anything that she regrets about being an actress.
"Ever since I started, I've been very strong and clear about what I want to do. Thankfully, I've had the self-awareness and guts to put my foot down and say I'm not comfortable with something I'm asked to do," she said.
Whether people have liked it or not, Kajal has always stood by her "morals".
"I'm not judging others on what they do but everyone has one's own threshold and I have mine too, but I've not crossed it. No regrets at all, because I've done everything consciously," she said.
Kajal, who is 29 now, is in no hurry to get married. But she strongly believes in the institution of marriage thanks to her parents, who are in love and still together.
"Seeing my parents, I've realised marriage is very important in everyone's life. And I think the right time to get married is when you find the right person," she said.
She's yet to find her Prince Charming.
"I agree people are of the opinion that you should get married early in life and it makes sense because you grow old with your partner. That being so, I've been very busy for the last nine years and didn't find the time to invest in any relationship because I haven't found anyone yet."
But Kajal is in love - with her work!
"I'm deeply in love with what I do and my priority has always been my work," she said, and added marriage doesn't end the career of an actress.
"I think career and marriage should not be mixed. Some heroes get married at 25 and continue to work and even go on to become superstars. Why can't an actress' career be treated like a corporate job? Women in corporates get married, but they continue working, don't they," Kajal asked.
"I'm so happy some of the young actresses have got married and still continue working. Amala Paul, my friend, is the best example," she said.
Kajal is currently awaiting the release of Telugu actioner "Temper" with Junior NTR and Tamil romantic-comedy "Maari" with Dhanush.
This is the third time she has been paired with NTR. She has also worked with most of heroes multiple times.
Was she ever conscious of being linked with her co-actors?
"I was conscious, but then I asked myself how many actors can I be linked with? You need to understand there are only a certain number of star heroes and heroines. Also, if a director feels a particular heroine is most suitable for his story, it doesn't matter who your co-star is; you do it if you like it," she said.
Quoting an example, she said: "Ram Charan and I are great friends, but I also know his wife really well because they've been dating since 'Magadheera'".
Kajal and Ram have worked in four films together.
In Bollywood, Kajal has a film with Randeep Hooda up her sleeve, while her project with Sharman Joshi has been postponed.