Kajol is known for keeping it real, whether on screen or off screen. In a heartfelt and refreshingly honest conversation, the actress opened up about motherhood, specifically the early years of raising her daughter Nysa.
The Bollywood star, whose film Maa released in theatres on Friday, admitted she was the textbook definition of a "helicopter mom".
"I really was a helicopter mom in every way possible. I had bandages, medicines, everything packed!" she laughed, adding how she always had the doctor on speed dial.
She told NDTV, "I already knew what was going to happen. I had everything packed. I'd call the doctor and ask, should I give her this, this, or this?"
Kajol also reflected on the initial overwhelming phase of new motherhood, that feeling of having to do everything herself.
"No one changes nappies like I do, right?" she joked.
"You think no one else can manage, but then you make do. Your heart breaks, but you take the risk."
It's a role she knows well quite literally. Kajol played a helicopter mom on screen in her 2018 film Helicopter Eela, where she portrayed a single mother who couldn't stop hovering over her teenage son. The film struck a chord with many, but it's clear the story came from a place of truth.
Now, with her latest release Maa, Kajol once again steps into maternal territory, this time in a more nuanced, emotionally complex space. And just like in real life, she shows us that being a mother is messy, tender, and often filled with self-doubt but also immense strength.
"I was lucky. Working is important. And I had to do it with a clear mind," Kajol said, crediting her joint family, especially her mother-in-law, for giving her the support system she needed to return to work guilt-free.
Kajol also shares son Yug with actor-husband Ajay Devgn, who also serves as a producer on Maa.
