NEW DELHI: Some celebrity parents love it when their kids are in the spotlight, while others try their best to protect them from the glitz and glamour (and paparazzi) with the sole purpose of ensuring they are able to live a normal life. One such parent is Bollywood actor Kajol. She lives in Mumbai, the country’s entertainment capital, and is keen on shielding her two little ones from media’s attention.
“We have done as much as we could to take care of them, protect them and keep them out of the limelight,” said Kajol, adding it hasn’t been an easy task for her and her actor-producer husband Ajay Devgn. “At the end of the day, we want them to grow up as normal kids and have as much a chance at [normal] childhood as they can.” Kajol has cut down her acting assignments to a large extent so that she can be a fully available stay-at-home mom.
The Kuch Kuch Hota Hai actor is apparently very strict and rigid when it comes to her children, Nysa, 10 and Yug, 3. “I am very strict with my kids. I think it is very important for them to know exactly what boundaries are and how they cannot be crossed,” she explained. “I think they will grow up to be better human beings if they have that in front of them. As parents, it is our responsibility to teach them what is right and what is wrong.”
A lot of parents don’t let their little ones watch a lot of TV or movies but Kajol doesn’t seem to have any such restrictions. “My daughter doesn’t watch any of my movies because she thinks I cry too much. She [Nysa] says, ‘You should do films like Golmaal like papa’,” said the 39-year-old star.
But if she had to recommend movies to them, which would they be? “I think if I had to show films to them, I would show them Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha — these are the kind of films I would like them to watch,” Kajol added.
Being a celebrity mom isn’t easy, Kajol explained. “It was difficult for me. I was literally micro-managing my time,” she said. “I had to wake up much earlier in the morning and finish my workout before my baby woke up. Then send her to school and then go to work myself.” While it’s tough, she feels where there is a will, there is a way. “If you really want to do it, you can.”
Kajol and Devgn have a good relationship and that is what makes all the difference, she said. “The fact that Ajay and I are good together, that in itself makes them feel stable. I think you just have to work at it. Every relationship requires work,” she added. “That is what we do. We work at it.”
The actor will next be seen in Devgn’s upcoming production venture.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2013.
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