Kajol's 42nd birthday has also thrown the spotlight on her husband, Ajay Devgn, although he prefers to maintain a low profile. The couple are a testament to the fact that opposites attract. Kajol is the bubbly, extroverted free spirit while Ajay is the brooding introvert. No one gave their relationship a chance of success but they have now been together for 21 years and married for 16 years.
They started dating while filming Goondaraj back in 1994 and also bonded over another film, Hulchul, which was being made at the same time. Both films released the following year. Interestingly, Ajay did not make a marriage proposal to Kajol. Both of them just assumed that they would get married in due course.
They were married on 24th February 1999 at the Devgn home in Mumbai before a select group of guests that numbered a little over fifty. Karan & Yash Johar were present while Amitabh Bacchhan arrived for the mangalsutra ceremony. Kajol's co-star in some of her most celebrated films, Shah Rukh Khan, was not present but he made it to the mehndi ceremony that was held earlier.
The glowing bride's trousseau was designed by Manish Malhotra. She wore a traditional nine yard sari along with a pearl studded nose ring. A long honeymoon in Europe followed. Two years later, Kajol unfortunately had a miscarriage but the couple was eventually blessed with two beautiful children, daughter Nysa and son Yug.
Kajol and Ajay have appeared together in many more films, apart from the two made during their initial courtship. In Ishq, released in 1997, they shared screen space with another famous jodi, Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla. Then came the 1998 romantic comedy Pyar to Hona Hi Tha, inspired by the Hollywood film, French Kiss, starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline.
Their first film after marriage was Dil Kya Kare in 1999, produced by Ajay's parents, Veeru and Veena Devgan. Directed by Prakash Jha, the film received a thumbs up from the critics. Ajay himself was bitten by the production bug soon after and made his debut as producer with Raju Chacha in 2000, starring himself and his wife along with Rishi Kapoor and Sunjay Dutt. The film was a family affair with the director being Ajay's brother, Anil.
Eight years later, in 2008, Ajay decided to try his hand at directing and naturally, he decided to cast himself and his wife in the film U, Me Aur Hum. Showing that he was a man of many talents, Ajay also wrote the story, co-wrote the screenplay and produced the film, which received favourable reviews. The couple also made guest appearances in Haal-e-Dil, directed by Kajol's brother-in-law, Anil, in the same year.
Kajol and Ajay were seen, or rather, heard in Toonpur Ka Super Hero, a 2010 3D animation film that was a remake of Space Jam, starring basketball legend Michael Jordan. It remains their last collaboration so far.
They may never make a list of legendary on-screen couples but their off-screen relationship has certainly been one of the success stories of Bollywood. Ajay summed it up by saying, “In our differences, we complete and complement each other.” But let's give the last word to Kajol. "I think our relationship has worked only because I speak a lot and he quietly listens," she joked!
