Kajol’s Unibrow Seems To Be Her Lucky Charm

Kajol turns 41 and even though her look has evolved a great deal over the years, she still keeps her unibrow.

(This story is from The Quint’s archives and was first published on 5 August 2015, on the occasion of Kajol’s birthday.)

Kajol isn’t like other actresses and that’s because she’s always been herself on screen. What can be better than acting, that’s not acting? Just like good make-up is meant to look like one’s wearing no make up at all! And in that department, Kajol’s come such a long way. But curiously, she’s never completely done away with her unibrow. While Shilpa Shetty and Karisma Kapoor trimmed their brows decades ago, Kajol held on to hers, just like a lucky charm.

Bekhudi (1992)

It all started with Bekhudi (1992). Kajol wasn’t great looking back then and neither was her co-star Kamal Sadanah. But her acting stood out despite the film flopping royally at the box office.

Baazigar (1993)

This was the beginning not only of the most epic jodi, Kajol-Shah Rukh, but also the point where despite her dusky looks, Kajol announced her arrival. Can’t say much about her choice of lip colour, head gear and the awfully distracting unibrow though.

Yeh Dillagi (1994)

Kajol played a model in this Saif Ali Khan-Akshay Kumar starrer. She got slightly better at make-up but went horribly wrong in the costume and accessories department. While she kicked ass as an independent, self made middle class girl, her proud unibrow framed her face as always!

Karan Arjun (1995)

Kajol was never thin like her contemporaries but that didn’t stop her from wearing what she wanted. Somehow she managed to carry off anything. Even in the reincarnation saga Karan Arjun, she had no qualms about dancing on a haystack in a fitting blue dress, with a giant flower in her hair. By now, we had come to terms with the fact that the famous unibrow was going nowhere.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

And we finally got a glimpse of Kajol, the megastar! Simran from DDLJ came into our lives like a breath of fresh air. Kajol looked her young, fresh, rebellious best! Her unibrow was now her uniqueness. In fact, we stopped noticing it after this blockbuster.

But there were occasions during this masterpiece film that the brows were hard to ignore. Yet, it is impossible to image someone else playing Simran. She looked every bit her part in whatever she wore through the film, but she remains unforgettable in that simple green lehenga, and her subtle make up added immensely to her girl-next-door charm.

Gupt (1997)

Gupt was a thriller quite ahead of its time and Kajol blew us away with her killer instincts. But she desperately needed to lose some weight and invest in hair spray.

Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya (1998)

Though she still had a ton of weight to lose, she went easy on the make up and over-the-top costumes. Casual suited her a great deal and her eyes were as expressive as ever!

Dushman (1998)

As Kajol turned into a powerhouse of acting with her double role in Dushman, she took on the sadistic killer player by Ashutosh Rana with incredible conviction. The unibrow remained common to both her avatars, obviously! But she experimented boldly with her look and even sported a short crop.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)

Kajol’s wig and neon outfits were quite a put off. But her acting was a class apart. Though we were really beginning to wonder about why she wouldn’t shed the excess weight. Despite that, she does know how to sweep a guy off his feet in just a saree.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)

Meet the glamourous Kajol! Though there was nothing middle class or house wife-ish about her look in the film, she did stun in that gorgeous yellow saree, against the stark desert backdrop. She got everything right, including the director and the biggest co-stars the industry could give her.

My Name Is Khan (2010)

Kajol is literally defying age! She looks fitter than ever and is incredibly glamourous. She’s doing something terrific in terms of eye make up that somehow takes our attention away from her unibrow. But hats off to her for keeping her lucky charm despite the jokes. It’s certainly helping her get the biggest films, being made by the biggest Bollywood directors.

Kajol never quite became a Bollywood diva, and she never tried to. She’s just been her casual, confident, chirpy self. Here’s wishing her many more years of spunk and spontaneity. Happy Birthday Kajol!