Kajal Aggarwal

Kajal Aggarwal, professionally known as Kajal A Kitchlu (née Aggarwal), is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi cinema. Recognized as one of the highest-paid actresses in South Indian cinema, she has won three SIIMA Awards and a Filmfare Award. In 2020, a wax figure of Aggarwal was put on display at Madame Tussauds Singapore, making her the first actress from South Indian cinema to be featured there.

Aggarwal was born on 19 June 1985 in a Punjabi family with roots in Amritsar, settled in Mumbai. Her father, Vinay Aggarwal, is an entrepreneur in the textile business, while her mother, Suman, works as a confectioner and serves as her business manager. She has a younger sister, Nisha Agarwal, who is an actress in Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam cinema. Aggarwal completed her schooling at St. Anne's High School, pre-university education at Jai Hind College, and earned a degree in mass media with a specialization in marketing and advertising from Kishinchand Chellaram College.

Aggarwal made her acting debut in the 2004 Hindi film Kyun! Ho Gaya Na... before marking her Telugu debut in Teja's Lakshmi Kalyanam in 2007. Later that year, she achieved wider recognition with Chandamama. In 2008, she entered Tamil cinema with Pazhani and appeared in Saroja. Aggarwal achieved a career breakthrough with S. S. Rajamouli's 2009 fantasy film Magadheera, which became one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time and earned her a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Actress – Telugu.

Following this breakthrough, she established herself with a series of successful Telugu and Hindi projects. Her major Telugu films include Darling, Brindavanam, Mr. Perfect, Businessman, Naayak, Baadshah, Govindudu Andarivadele, Temper, Khaidi No. 150, Nene Raju Nene Mantri, and Bhagavanth Kesari. In Hindi cinema, she played female lead roles in the successful action film Singham, which earned her a Filmfare nomination for Best Female Debut, and the thriller Special 26.

Aggarwal also built a prominent career in Tamil cinema, starring in high-profile projects including Naan Mahaan Alla, Maattrraan, Thuppakki, Jilla, Vivegam, Mersal, and Comali. Her performance in Thuppakki earned her the SIIMA Critics Award for Best Actress – Tamil, while her role in Nene Raju Nene Mantri earned her the SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu.

In her subsequent career, Aggarwal appeared in diverse projects such as Awe, MLA, Sita, Mosagallu, Mumbai Saga, and the 2022 release Hey Sinamika.