Tanuja's Birthday: Gave Kajol Freedom to Live at Just 12

Tanuja, a very bold and outspoken actress in the films of her time, is celebrating her 81st birthday today. There was a time when millions admired Tanuja's beauty, and the world was impressed by her every style, but at this age, it is difficult to even recognize her. Today's generation knows her more as Kajol's mother and Ajay Devgan's mother-in-law. Most people know that famous actress Nutan is her elder sister.

Tanuja was born on 23 September 1943 in Mumbai. Her father Kumarsen Samarth was a film director and her mother Shobhana Samarth was a successful actress. Tanuja has three sisters - Nutan, Chatura, and Reshma. Tanuja started her film career as a child artist in the year 1950 through the film 'Hamari Beti'.

Tanuja Mukherjee Songs

So today on the occasion of his birthday, let us tell you some interesting things related to his life.

Tanuja was one of the first liberal women in the Hindi film industry. She had her own unique lifestyle and she used to read all kinds of books on the latest subjects and made even very knowledgeable and famous writers-directors-actors feel complex. Many times they used to deliberately avoid Tanuja's talks because they could not reach Tanuja's intellect and her thinking. She used to drink alcohol in the open, smoke cigarettes, and did not care what people would think about her. She was not afraid to say anything in front of anyone, once she told Rajesh Khanna I do not want to work with you anymore because you have a habit of poking your nose in every matter which I do not like at all. This was the situation when she had already done two blockbuster films like 'Haathi Mere Saathi' and 'Mere Jeevan Saathi' with Rajesh Khanna. No one except Tanuja had the courage to say these words to the man who had started considering himself the God of the industry or just next to God. But no matter how much one tried, Tanuja could not change what she was.  

Tanuja married director Shomu Mukherjee almost unknown to anyone and that too when she was at the peak of her career. Her first daughter was named Kajol. This Kajol had absolutely no interest in making a career in the film industry. She was fond of only one thing and that was reading. At the age of just ten, Kajol had read the most famous and biggest books of that time. Tanuja had given Kajol complete freedom in her guidance till she was twelve years old, but when Kajol celebrated her 12th birthday, Tanuja told Kajol that from now on Tanuja will not interfere in any decision of her life. She said, I have always considered you as an adult woman and now I think the time has come when you should learn to fly fully on your own wings. You are the mistress of your own life.

Kajol took her mother's advice very seriously and took her friendship with books further. But after meeting Gautam Rajadhyaksha, who was a great photographer as well as a very good friend of Tanuja, Kajol's interest in films was aroused for the first time. Gautam, who was also a writer, wrote a script that Kajol liked very much and that script later became a film 'Bekhudi', which is known as Kajol's debut film. The film did not do well but Kajol was accepted as an actress for the future and Kajol strengthened her position as an actress by giving one great performance after another. Among these, the top position was also achieved by 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' and 'Kabhi Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' and then if anyone could come between Kajol and Kajol, it would be Kajol herself. And the one person who was happy and thrilled about Kajol doing her own thing was her mother, Tanuja. When Kajol told Tanuja that she loved Ajay Devgan and wanted to marry him, Tanuja congratulated her and said that it was completely her decision, that there was no need to ask me, and I had no right to interfere in your life. When Tanuja said this sentence to Kajol, Kajol's trust in her mother's wisdom and way of living life increased further.

Kajol Today, Kajol is not only one of the leading actresses but also a caring mother of two children, Nysa and Yug. But when it comes to her children, especially Nysa, she follows the same path that her mother explained to her when she was very young.  

I was looking at my mobile when I came across a story written on Kajol which described the relationship between her and her mother and the thing that caught my attention were two things that Kajol said for Tanuja whom she still calls 'Mamma'. Kajol said that when her mother is with her, she feels as if she is with an entire army, she feels so safe and the second thing in her own words that "(For mother), you are a warrior, a woman, a wife, a mother and a wonderful person and a soul too. I am very lucky that I was born as your daughter. Kajol had vowed that she will raise her children in the same way her mother raised her.

Interestingly, Kajol is making a comeback after a long time with a very unique film "Tribhanga - Teddy Medi Crazy". Tanvi Azmi, who is Usha Kiran's daughter, is also in this film with Kajol. Even more interesting is that this film has been directed by Renuka Shahane, who is known for the film 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun'. Another interesting actress Mithila Palkar is also in this film, who has worked in both Dilwale Dulhania... and Hum Aapke Hain Koun.... That little girl of Hum Aapke Hain Koun has grown up and has become a good actress today and she knows every dialogue, every song, lyrics and who wore what costume of Hum Aapke Hain Koun by heart. That is why people call this actress the encyclopedia of Hum Aapke Hain Koun. The cinematography of the film is done by award winning Baba Azmi who is the brother of Shabana Azmi and husband of Tanvi Azmi. 

'Tribhanga - Teddy Medi Crazy' is releasing on an OTT platform on January 15 and I hope that the team of creative women will be successful just like all the women pilots of Air India were successful in flying over the challenging North Pole and also completed a record by flying from Bangalore to San Francisco and back. I always wanted women to create new dimensions of success in this man's world and make this man's world understand that they can run this world better, a beautiful world which has been ruined by humans. 

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