Kajol Mukherjee was born on 5 August, 1974 into one of the most illustrious families in the film industry. Shobhna Samarth, her grandmother, Tanuja, her mother, Nutan, her aunt, and her great grandmother Rattan Bai were all noted film actors in their day, making her and her younger sister Tanishaa fourth-generation actors. Her father, Shomu Mukherjee, was also a prominent Bengali director and producer. Kajol’s parents separated when she was very young and she spent much of her time with her grandmother, Shobhna Samarth.

In 1990, at the age of 16, she was cast in Rahul Rawail’s film Bekhudi (1992). While the film was a commercial failure, Kajol was noticed for her performance and she subsequently dropped out of school to pursue a career as an actor.

Her breakthrough role came in her second film, Abbas-Mustan’s hit thriller Baazigar (1993). The film, also starring Shahrukh Khan, marked the first appearance of one of the most celebrated on-screen couples in cinematic history. The year 1995 was an important one for Kajol as she starred opposite Khan in Rakeysh Roshan’s blockbuster Karan Arjun (1995) followed by Aditya Chopra’s landmark debut Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995). The latter has become the longest running film of all time. The simplicity and credulity she lent to her character Simran in the timeless romance cemented her position as one of the leading actors of her generation.

Kajol went on to star in a string of successful films including Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997), in which her critically acclaimed performance won her a Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role.

One of her most iconic roles came in Karan Johar’s directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1999) where she played the role of firebrand Anjali. In the same year, Kajol married fellow actor Ajay Devgn. Together they made what was at the time the most expensive film ever produced, Raju Chacha (2000). The film fared poorly at the box office.

It was another Karan Johar film that brought Kajol back into the limelight. In 2002, Johar’s multistarrer Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2002) swept both the domestic and the overseas market and even in the midst of a stellar cast, Kajol stole the thunder with her comic-dramatic portrayal of Anjali.

Following this film, Kajol took a break from acting to focus on her personal life. On 20 April, 2003 she gave birth to a daughter, Nysa and seven years later, the couple had a son, Yug.

In 2006, Kajol returned to the silver screen with the hit film Fanaa (2006) in which she plays a blind Kashmiri girl who unknowingly falls in love with a terrorist (Aamir Khan). Since then, Kajol has regularly appeared in films including her notable role in Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan (2010) which got her the Filmfare Award for the Best Actress.

She recently appeared in the film Dilwale (2015), alongside Shah Rukh Khan, resurrecting the pairing the audiences had come to love so much. This largely contributed to the popularity of the film.

She has also taken on an active role in her husband’s production company, Devgn Entertainment and Software Ltd. Beyond films, Kajol is known for her philanthropic work, particularly with women and children. The Indian Government recognised her immense contribution to Indian cinema by awarding her the Padma Shri in 2011.