Kajol (born August 5, 1974) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Hindi cinema. Born into the Mukherjee-Samarth film family, she made her acting debut in the romance *Bekhudi* (1992) and had her first commercial breakthrough with the thriller *Baazigar* (1993). She subsequently established herself as a leading actress with roles in *Yeh Dillagi* (1994), *Karan Arjun* (1995), *Ishq* (1997), and *Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha* (1998). Her performance as an antagonist in *Gupt: The Hidden Truth* (1997) earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Villain.

Over her career, Kajol received five Filmfare Awards for Best Actress for her performances in the romantic drama *Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge* (1995), the romance *Kuch Kuch Hota Hai* (1998), the family drama *Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...* (2001), the romantic thriller *Fanaa* (2006), and the drama *My Name Is Khan* (2010). In 2011, the Government of India honored her with the Padma Shri. Her later feature releases included *Dilwale* (2015), *Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior* (2020), and *Salaam Venky* (2022).