Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; January 21, 2019)

Ajay Devgn and Kajol will soon share screen space in their ambitious production venture Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior. But much before the period saga hits screens, the husband and wife have teamed up for a cause. They have become ambassadors of Hindustan Unilever’s latest campaign, Start a Little Good. They kick-started it on Saturday with a clean-up drive — Plastic Banega Fantastic — which is aimed at its recycling and sustainable use. We caught up with the B-Town power couple on the sidelines of the event for a candid chat. Excerpts…

This cause is revolutionary in its own way. What were your first thoughts when you were told about it?
Kajol: I felt it’s a fabulous way to make people conscious about segregating plastic. It’s about telling them that there’s a reason why you should do it and the common man needs to be educated about it. It’s just about putting the plastic containers and trash into a bag separately. And it can only be recycled if we separate it.

Do you agree that this can become an alternative solution to the plastic ban?
Ajay: Plastic ban is good, but only till a point. But its usage can’t stop completely. So, we should try and make sure we don’t use those single-use plastics. Whatever can be recycled should be done. I also don’t think people know what to put where, when there are three different bins. That’s something we need to educate people about.
K: This initiative was started last year and 23,000 tonnes of plastic was segregated to recycle and reuse. That’s where the whole idea stemmed from.
A: If we want our future generations to use it in future, we need to teach them how they can do it sustainably.

How informed are your children — Nysa and Yug — when it comes to such causes?
K: No child is going to stand up and say, ‘I want to do this differently’, unless they see their parents doing it differently. We have to be responsible parents to teach them how to do it.

The campaign is called ‘Start A Little Good.’ Professionally, you both have had terrific starts, too...
K: My first film, Bekhudi (1992) didn’t work (laughs).
A: We’ve been very lucky. I didn’t have to struggle a lot, especially where work is concerned. I have worked hard, but that’s a different thing altogether.
K: I never considered it a struggle or a career either. It was something that happened to me and I went ahead with the flow. I had a great time working and met some of the most amazing people through this journey. I still think of my work as my playtime. My work is at home. This is time away from it.

How does it feel to share screen space again after so many years in Tanhaji?
A: It’s extremely normal for us. We are just going to work. We have done it earlier. It’s a home production, so things are easier as well. The excitement and nervousness will start only when we gear up for release.

From the ’90s, actresses like you and Tabu are still relevant today and Ajay, you’re working with both of them now...
A: Age has got nothing to do with art and relevance. When you’re a good performer, you will work all your life. Nobody can stop you. If you’re there only because of your looks, then you fade out. Performance never fades out, it only grows.
K: I’m relevant because I believe that I’m relevant today. My on-screen and off-screen personalities have played a huge role in it. It has grown with age — I have matured and I’m way smarter than what I was at 16. I’m way more beautiful now, so I’m bound to be relevant in present times.

Finally, when people talk about the star system fading away, does the thought intimidate you?
A: No. The audience has definitely become very choosy. They will only go for a good product, which is a great thing actually. It will keep everyone on their toes. We used to do films left, right and centre and they used to work as well. But not in today’s times. So, the rest of the actors after our generation are very careful. It’s product to product.
K: I guess the words star and fame cannot be put together anymore. People are famous today, but there are very few stars.