The pandemic made them realise they are each other’s constants. 2020 saw them happily married…2021 saw their social media bustling as they were busy setting “couple goals” and in 2022 they are all set to welcome their little bundle of joy.
Our Managing Editor, Neha Sachar Mittal caught up with the adorable couple Actor Kajal Aggarwal and husband Gautam Kitchlu to chat about parenting, companionship and all things love!
- You both have what we might call a “Pandemic Proposal”, is that right? How and when did you both decide to take your friendship to the next level?
We’ve known each other for a very long time, 10 years, only through the pandemic did we realise that we were each other’s constant and wanted to spend our lives with one another. We’ve always consulted each other on important life decisions, stayed the thickest of friends even while dating other people. Through the first wave of covid, We couldn’t meet due to lockdown restrictions so used to schedule 5-minute meetings at grocery stores while doing grocery runs for our respective homes. It was sweet and had its own charm. - We believe congratulations are in order! You are soon going to be parents… you are absolutely glowing Kajal…! We are sure you are very excited but are you also a little nervous given the current times?
Thank you so much! Yes, we are very excited and nervous at the same time. Having a baby is the most gratifying yet anxious experience!
Like all parents- we want to make sure we give our baby the best of everything, a nurturing, loving environment and are trying to do whatever we feel is right and best for our child. This is such a learning process physically as well as emotionally. Indescribable feeling.
- We are sure preparations are in full swing…so before the baby comes, every couple ends up having a number of disagreements like the colour of the nursery, cot or a crib, pacifier or not etc etc… Does it hold true for you both too?
Yes, we do have our differing points of view on upbringing as well as simpler decisions such as choosing baby furniture but thankfully we seem to agree on most decisions, especially important ones. I think that comes from our similar values, grounded upbringing from our parents. We are very grateful for that and have a whole new level of respect for our parents as well! - Parenting is one of the toughest jobs in the world…apart from the practicality of bringing up the baby, like healthy food, clean ecosystem, good education etc…it’s the ideology, the value system, that the parents pass onto their kids, which is most important. What kind of ethos would you want to pass on to your child?
You’re absolutely right about all of the above. We’d like to give our child a nurturing, nourishing environment. Teach our baby the importance of simplicity, humanity, compassion and love. Allow our little one to make his or her choices and support him through it. Raise him with respect and teach him the meaning of being a good, kind person. As parents, we will have to lead by example and we would definitely like to set the right kind of examples for our children. We wouldn’t want to inflict our decisions or live vicariously through our baby. - What’s your Parenting style going to be…
Reading “what to expect when expecting” from cover to cover or just winging it along the way?
Haha, I’ve actually been reading the book, and Gautam has the app on his phone. We are lucky to have a strong support system around us with both sides of parents being extremely loving and hands-on grandparents and our sisters have babies themselves and have done such a phenomenal job at raising their children, they are on speed dial for any confusion that either of us might have. We also have amazing friends who’ve gone through the process and have babies who are now toddlers. They are very happy to help with advice and support all the time as well! - In today’s day and age of The Paparazzi… how hard is it for celebrity kids to have “normalcy” while growing up?
It is difficult to maintain any sort of privacy and I’d definitely like my child to have normalcy wherever he/she goes- be it at school, social interactions etc. Humility for me is very important and I’d like to keep my baby away from media attention and social media for however long I can. I’ve also noticed an increasing trend, I’m guessing due to the pandemic of children being given a lot more screen time. I’d like to discourage that for however long I possibly can. - Your fans are really excited to see you, Kajal, in “Acharya”, have you shot anything while being pregnant?
I’m very excited about Acharya as well. The timing was perfect for me. I conceived right after I finished the film.
My first trimester was difficult and I haven’t shot for a film through my pregnancy. I’ve completed my other commitments of endorsements and brands that I represent as well as gone for my public appearances, of course with safety being of paramount importance. - Rumour mills are rife that Gautam would soon be seen acting in the movies? We can’t wait!!
Oh! I’d personally love that but that’s not true at all. Gautam runs away from media and attention, I have to literally request him to stand with me for a picture! Also, he’s very busy running two parallel companies, he has no time to venture into a field so starkly different from his own.
He’s been active with theatre through his growing up years though and I think he’d be able to pull it off very well!
- They say “love conquers all”… did you ever have a moment in your journey together so far where you felt this?
I feel it every time we have an argument or fight hahaha
- You started your career with Bollywood but almost at the same time you debuted in the Telugu Film Industry with Lakshmi Kalyanam which of course got delayed and released a few years later. Was that a planned move?
I wouldn’t count my school days stint as my career launch. My Hindi film was when I was all of 15! I didn’t even know I was going to enter the film industry at that point.
My launch was Lakshmi Kalyanam in Telugu in 2006 when I was in my final year of college and no it wasn’t planned, it happened completely by chance. I wasn’t sure if I further wanted to pursue acting or do my masters. I’m so glad things worked out the way they did and it’s been an amazing experience even though it’s been an insane amount of hard work! I feel every experience I’ve had in this industry was totally worth it.
