The latest episode of Karan Johar’s popular celebrity talk show Koffee With Karan on Disney+ Hotstar saw Rani Mukerji and Kajol gracing the couch.
During the show, KJo recalled how he managed to attend actress Rani Mukerji and filmmaker Aditya Chopra's destination wedding in Manchester at a time when his production venture 2 States was about to release in cinemas.
“Kajol, you actually knew Adi way before even Rani did,” Johar said. “He is my best friend in the whole world. We have to talk about the fact when Rani and Adi got married. It was a destination wedding, actually, they began the destination wedding of movie stars if nobody knows it. I don't even want to say where it was because I think he will still fire me like decades later.”
He further mentioned, "He literally threatens me that if I ever put a photograph of his and mine that we take every Diwali. But like, he told me, 'Meri shaadi ho rahi hai, there are 18 people attending. If word gets out of this wedding, it will be you. The only person who will open his mouth is you, if I see there is a mention of this wedding in any publication. At that time newspapers were still dominating'. I was so hyper and hysterical."
"I had to lie to my mother. We had a release. It was April 2014. I will never forget it. 2 States was releasing. I had to abandon my movie release, tell everybody I have an event in Manchester, for some reason made it up. But everyone was like 'On release weekend, why are you going to Manchester?' I was like, 'I have to go, I have to go," KJo added.
Rani Mukerji and Aditya Chopra married in 2014 and the couple welcomed their daughter Adira in 2015.
The actress defended her claim that acting demands more than desk jobs in a recent interview.
She said office workers can "chill out" during work hours, unlike film stars.
Fans and working professionals called her comments privileged and out of touch.
The backlash started after her appearance on Amazon Prime's Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle.
Critics pointed out the financial gap and support systems actors have compared to regular employees.
Kajol probably didn't expect this reaction when she sat down with Twinkle Khanna on Two Much. But her comments about actors working harder than people with 9-to-5 jobs have blown up, and not in a good way.
Fans slam Kajol after she says actors work harder than regular employees sparking online outrage Getty Images
The comments that started it all
Kajol was speaking out about her earlier comments on Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle on Amazon Prime, where she said actors work harder than most people. This time she was explaining why she thinks that.
She told The Hollywood Reporter India that her days are full of shoots, events, and very early flights. One day involved waking at 5 AM to catch a flight to Jaipur for a 3 PM event.
But it was her take on regular jobs that got people talking. She claimed desk workers don't need to be "100% present" and can take breaks, "chill out," and relax while working. She kept coming back to the unending scrutiny actors face like the feeling of always being watched or something as simple as how you cross your legs or who's snapping a picture in the background becomes a constant calculation. You have to be switched on, she insisted, all the time.
The internet, frankly, was having none of it. YouTube and Reddit exploded with responses. "For the kind of remuneration actors are paid, they shouldn't have a problem working 12 hours a day for 4 days a week," one user wrote. Another pointed out that films typically take 3-4 months to shoot, while regular jobs run year-round.
The responses got more pointed. "Vanity mein naps or massages bhi toh hum lete hain," a Reddit user commented, referencing the comfort of vanity vans. Someone else joked: "If you work poorly, you get fired. If you act poorly, you get a Filmfare award."
The bluntest response yet? "Respectfully, Kajol, shut up."
Nobody denies acting is demanding. Long hours, public pressure, and constant judgement are very real. But comparing it to regular employment ignores some major differences.
Most people work 12 months a year with two weeks' holiday if they're lucky. They don't have spot boys fetching drinks or vanity vans for rest breaks. One netizen nailed it: "A working parent's schedule is continuous, every single day, with no wrap-up party or off-season."
Online erupts as Kajol defends claim that acting demands more than everyday 9-to-5 workGetty Images
There's also the money. While her fee for a single film is probably more than most people earn in a year, she says that doesn’t make the work easy. Still, it does provide a comfort that regular employees don’t have. Kajol has not yet replied to the backlash.
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