" I am a hardworker "

Kajal Agarwal is one busy actress. Off late, she has been working 14 hours a day, thanks to her three big projects that are lined up for release this year — Magadheera with Ramcharan Tej, Aarya-2 with Allu Arjun and a film opposite Ram.

While every other starlet struggled her way to the top, Kajal admits that right from her debut, she has had a “dream run” in Tollywood.“I am lucky to have bagged such big budget projects. Roles in movies like Magadheera, which is a period film and one of the most expensive ones made in Tollywood, doesn’t come your way everyday. This is certainly a milestone project for me. When I sign up for a project, I take my work seriously. While shooting, I switch off from everything else in my life. I’m happy with my career graph,” says Kajal who attributes her success to her hard work.

Hard work is not the only virtue of this chirpy actress who is known to be the ‘Miss Congeniality’ of Tollywood. Rumours are rife that Kajal is using her people skills to circulate her sister’s portfolio who is also a Tollywood aspirant.

Ask her about her promoting spree and the actress justifies, “My sister, who has attended theatre classes, has already got a couple of offers. It’s totally her call whether she wants to act in movies or not. If she is interested in a role, she will take it up. I will only guide her. I am definitely not promoting her.”But won’t her sister be adding to the competition from the horde of young actors?

“There is fierce competition in Tollywood but it is healthy. Directors choose their actors depending on the character they have in mind. The industry is huge and there is space for everyone,” says Kajal doling out an evasive response.The actress who has dabbled even in Tamil cinema claims that she has her roots fixed in Tollywood because she prefers the Telugu “happy endings” over the dark, “reality” of Tamil movies. “If I come across a good script, I will be ready to act in any industry. But Tamil movies are sometimes too realistic and the truth isn’t always pleasant. There are rarely any sad endings in Telugu cinema and I enjoy that,” says Kajal who even has her eyes set on Bollywood.“I’ve got a couple of Bollywood offers but I haven’t signed up for anything yet. Language is not a barrier. In college, I learnt to appreciate the beauty of different kinds of cinema, be it Japanese or German. It is the story which ultimately matters. I really want to do an intense thriller flick as well,” says this graduate in mass media and Journalism who plans to pursue her MBA. “I have not given up on my education completely. Right now I am focusing on my film career, I plan to study a few years later.”

But her busy career has led her to live a “dual life,” admits this lady. “Stardom hasn’t changed me as a person one bit. So, I have started leading a dual life. My friends and family treat me normally and keep me grounded, while outside it is a world of full of glitz and glamour,” she ends.