Happy birthday, Kajol: Revisiting her iconic role in 'Fanaa'
Kajol—who recently touched the milestone of completing three decades in the industry—turned 48 on Friday (August 5). Kajol has displayed her acting chops in films such as My Name Is Khan, Baazigar, and Karan Arjun, and as her husband/actor Ajay Devgn puts it, "She is just getting started!" Today, we walk down memory lane and revisit one exemplary film of hers: Fanaa.
Fanaa (2006) was helmed by Kunal Kohli and backed by Yash Raj Films. It remains a landmark film in both Kajol and her co-star Aamir Khan's careers. It followed the life of Zooni (Kajol), a sight-disabled woman who falls for Rehan (Khan), a tourist guide. However, there was more than what met the eye and Rehan was far from who he seemed to be.
Cinematic representations of disability, the ones that are sensitive and not marred by caricaturish portrayal are hard to come by, but Fanaa was different. The film's sensitive, mature writing was complemented well by Kajol's acting chops, who breathed life into her character. Be it the scenes involving her restrained romance with Khan or her camaraderie with her friends, Kajol was a sight to behold.
There are high chances you must have heard this song play all around you every single year on Independence Day, considering it's laced with immense patriotic fervor. It has now become synonymous with Kajol, due to her glittery white dress, perfect lip-sync, and flawless moves coordinated well with other dancers. It was penned by Prasoon Joshi, composed by Jatin-Lalit, and sung by Mahalakshmi Iyer.
With its backdrop of terrorist attacks, Fanaa was as much a story about staunch national allegiance as it was a romance. The very first scene put things into perspective as we saw Zooni saluting the national flag and her patriotism rose to the surface throughout the film. One of the scenes in the climax further reinstated her unflinching devotion and fidelity to the nation.
