New Delhi: In an appearance on Shame Less with Lilly Singh, actor Kajol spoke about how she sees Gen Z navigating an overload of information amid the challenge of decision-making.
“Young people today are ‘swimming’ in information,” Kajol said, while describing a constant awareness of “what’s right” and “what should be.” “What do you want? Decide that,” the 51-year-old said.
Kajol added that while earlier generations had limited access to information and were often forced to make choices on their own, Gen Z is dealing with the opposite problem.
“We had to figure things out ourselves — our morals, our boundaries, what we could or could not do. Today’s generation has so much information that they just keep flowing with it… and are unable to make decisions,” she said.
The Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) actor framed this as a gap between “knowing” and “choosing,” suggesting that awareness does not necessarily lead to clarity.
Singh is a Canadian content creator and host of the interview podcast Shame Less, which features long-form conversations with public figures. She first gained popularity on YouTube with her channel, Superwoman, where she posted comedy sketch videos.
The comments came during a wider conversation on generational shifts, with Singh describing Kajol as “being Gen Z before Gen Z,” pointing to her outspoken persona and the independence of her on-screen characters. Singh suggested that traits now commonly associated with Gen Z — such as being vocal, self-directed, and resistant to convention — were visible in Kajol’s public image much earlier, despite her belonging to Generation X.
Kajol also highlighted the changing attitudes towards family and independence.
“Gen Z doesn’t ask for permission,” she said, contrasting it with how earlier generations approached parents.
At the same time, she emphasised the continuing importance of family, saying, “At the end of the day, your family is your family… they love you.”
C had also earlier sparred with actor Ananya Panday, on the same subject, on an episode of Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle, where the conversation turned to Gen Z. Kajol suggested younger people struggle to decide what they want despite having access to information, Panday pushed back, saying her generation is “more aware” and “chooses differently,” rather than being unable to choose.
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Characters and the context they belong to
Later in the podcast, Kajol reflected on her own decisions as an actor. On her OTT debut, The Trial (2023), she said that she broke her long-standing no-kissing-on-screen rule because it was integral to the character.
“It wasn’t just a kiss… it was an integral part of the script,” she said, adding that, although “very uncomfortable” with the idea initially, she ultimately treated it as “a professional call.”
The conversation also turned to how specific scenes from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) might be read differently today. Singh pointed to the scene in which Shah Rukh Khan’s character, Raj, suggests that he and Simran (Kajol) may have slept together, saying it can feel unsettling on a rewatch.
Kajol said that the way such a moment is received depends on the character and context.
“It would depend on what kind of character you’re playing,” she said, adding that reactions would vary based on where the character comes from and how the situation is understood.
She also said that the emotional core of the scene lies in how the character processes uncertainty.
“If you feel like something might have happened and you don’t remember it… You would be upset,” she explained.
Kajol added that films such as DDLJ and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) were made “for a different time” and from a “different perspective”, and should, therefore, be viewed in that context today.
“It was written for a different time. It was written from a different perspective. It came from a completely different point of view,’ she said.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)