Usually busy with three films per year, Kajal A Kitchlu is currently on a maternity break. The Singham actress gave birth to a baby boy, on April 19, who she and her husband Gautam Kitchlu named Neil. The new mom is excited to celebrate her first Mother's Day today. Kajal opens up about motherhood, working through her pregnancy and how she plans to find her way through all the stress that comes with being a new mother. Excerpts:

This Mother’s Day is definitely special for obvious reasons. I plan to spend the day with all the mothers in my life, like my mom, sister, sister-in-law and mother-in-law. It is going to be a lovely family dinner. I will take the opportunity to express my undying love profusely to my mother. I hope to be a mother like my mom. My sister and I bond with her like her best friends.

I have always seen my sister, who has one son and my sister-in-law, who has a son and a daughter, be hands-on mothers. They have inspired me, but experiencing it yourself is a different ball game. It is amazing to spend time with your nephews and nieces because you hang out with them, and then they are their parents’ responsibility (laughs!). But as a mother, you have to take responsibility of your baby. On a serious note, I never imagined motherhood to be so beautiful. It’s literally like having your soul walk outside your body. It’s like a part of your soul and the biggest part of your heart in a physical form. From here on, I only want to be the best version of myself in every aspect possible to take care of my child.

My due date was May 5, but I started experiencing contractions on April 18. I was about to go for my routine stroll in the park and do cardio. I didn’t realise that I was getting into labour… it felt like regular pain, which would pass off. But soon, I was rushed to the hospital. You are so prepared for this day as you read and watch a lot about it. Through the nine hours of labour, I was chanting and taking mini naps. Then, the minute the baby was born, it felt surreal. They kept him on my chest. I was extremely overwhelmed. I am happy that it was a normal delivery. I was aiming and hoping for that as I had worked towards it quite a bit.

Physically, as we all know, giving birth is a painful process. Healing does take time. But then, women are very resilient. When you are in that situation, you understand what you and your body are capable of. So, regardless of the difficulties, it happens in a natural flow, and nature takes over. I am at my mom’s home now, and I have been indulging in all the traditional therapies, including massages, sauna, and eating healthy food. Mentally, the whole process has just made me stronger, more compassionate, selfless and a more loving human being. It also makes you more responsible. It’s an instant switch as you develop a natural maternal instinct. You change as a person and are far more mindful and careful and far more selfless in a way. About postpartum depression, thankfully, I haven’t experienced that so far. Thoughts about how you will bounce back crop up only when you are feeding your child alone at night or when you are alone in your room. So, every time I start thinking about how I can lose my extra weight or get back to work, I turn to my family. Every new mom is bound to be anxious about whether she is taking care of her child in the right manner. The only way to fight this stress is to have a strong core community around you to support you. And it does take a village to raise a child. Just find your strength in your village. That’s the only way to do it.

I was working till two days before my delivery. The last thing I shot for was a TV commercial. Whether you think it’s easy or difficult depends on how you perceive it. Yes, physically, it was challenging to work through the pregnancy. So, I participated in certain classes, and I did an entire parenting workshop with a renowned counsellor. I was also doing Iyengar yoga and cardio. I wanted to be ready in a way where I felt I was prepared to become a mom and, at the same time, work as an artiste. Nothing is simple and you have to work towards what you want to do. I hope to start working again in August. But if it takes longer, I will extend my maternity break, as my child is my number one priority.

My husband and I shortlisted a lot of names over several months. We wanted a name that would be short and easy to pronounce. I always wanted a name based on either Lord Shiva or Lord Krishna. Neil is derived from Neelkanth, which is one of Lord Shiva’s names. We loved it and decided to go ahead with it.

Kajal Aggarwal and her husband Gautam Kitchlu were blessed with a baby boy on Tuesday morning. Gautam took to social media to announce the addition to their family and that they have named newborn son Neil. “Our hearts are full and we are full of gratitude. Thank you, everyone, for your love and blessings,” he wrote on social media with the post.

Kajal’s sister Nisha Aggarwal, too, shared the post on her Instagram handle and wrote, “Yesterday morning was the most perfect! We welcomed our precious munchkin, who makes our world so much more beautiful. The most beautiful smile. . . his twinkling eyes brightened up our day. His tiny little feet and hands, the most perfect nails if you please. We are so thrilled to have you in our world Neil Kitchlu Well done @kajalaggarwalofficial and @kitchlug and thank you for this sweetest bundle (sic),” she wrote.

On New Year’s, Gautam Kitchlu and Kajal Aggarwal, who had tied the knot in October 2020, shared that they are expecting their first child. Kajal, who has been working through her pregnancy, has been sharing updates with her fans and followers on social media. She recently wrote a long post for her husband, thanking him for his support through this phase.

Recently, there was a strong buzz that Kajal Aggarwal aka Kajal A Kitchlu was expecting her first child. However, the actress, who tied the knot with businessman Gautam Kitchlu in a low-key ceremony last year, says, “I would not like to talk about it right now. I will talk about it when the time is right.”

Kajal does, however, add that seeing her sister, Nisha, who manages being a mother very well, encourages her to become a mother soon. “It gets me excited, but at the same time, it makes me nervous, too. I have seen how her life has changed and how complete she feels now. I think motherhood is a wonderful feeling. I feel one goes through self-realisation in that phase of life. Having said that, I must say I already feel like a mother in the company of my two nephews, Ishaan and Kabir. And now with Mia (their pet dog) entering in our life, Gautam and I already feel like parents. I just feel that there’s this whole new part of my heart that I never discovered before these babies entered my life. I am sure that when I have my own child, it is going to increase that emotion a lot more.”

Last month, Kajal and Gautam celebrated their first wedding anniversary. Talking about how life has changed post marriage, she says, “It’s strange that I am far busier now than I earlier was (laughs!). Well, it’s a great thing and I am happy about it. I am glad that people in our industry are not stereotyping anymore and are accommodating of one’s personal choices. I am thankful to Gautam who’s very supportive of me and my work. He is extremely encouraging. Usually, we two focus on our respective careers. It is only during dinner table conversations that we discuss work. He gives me honest feedback. When he doesn’t like something, he just lets me know.”

Meanwhile, on the professional front, after being seen in films like Singham and Special 26, Kajal is all set to play a protagonist in her next Bollywood venture, Uma. Interestingly, her look in the film resembles the iconic character Mary Poppins. Talking about the project, Kajal says, “It is a story about this mysterious girl. No one knows where she came from and where she goes. One fine day, she comes home to a family and changes their lives. It is a feel-good happy family drama. The look does remind one of Mary Poppins, but it is not similar to it. The story is quite different.”

Shedding more light on her character, Kajal says, “I play the role of a nurse. She is more of a caregiver than a typical nurse in a uniform. My director, Tathagata Singha, and I had several brainstorming sessions to make the character look different, be it in terms of the appearance, her mannerisms and even style of talking. We wanted her to look unique, but relatable to the audience. Since the film is set in Kolkata, she has a streak of Bengali culture in her.”

While this is the first time she plays a protagonist in a Hindi film, Kajal says that she has done many such projects down south. “But I am glad to be diversifying in other languages, too. We have seen women oriented films that are dark or serious, but this one is set in a happy zone,” she ends.

Kajal Aggarwal has a lot of “messy” childhood memories of Holi. But now, the actor is looking forward to creating some new ones with her husband Gautam Kitchlu as she gets ready to celebrate her first Holi after marriage.

The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic might have taken the fun out of celebrations, but not the essence. Aggarwal says they will be making the most of the day with their family and close friends, while taking all the precautions.

“This year, it is going to be a rather quiet Holi. We will do lunch with the family, a puja and then apply some organic colour on each other, and enjoy thandai and kachoris,” Aggarwal says.

It was amid the Coronavirus pandemic last year when Aggarwal started a new chapter of her life by getting married to her long-time boyfriend Kitchlu in a lavish wedding ceremony on October 30. And the actor says being together on special occasions makes them memorable.

“Every festival is special especially when it’s the first after marriage. We are excited to be celebrating it together and will be hosting some friends as well, after everyone’s tested, including us,” says the actor.

Ask her about the Holi traditions, and she says, “The burning of the Holika and playing messy Holi are our childhood memories and traditions, and I hope to do this soon. My special memories have to be the rain dance Holi parties with my friends and eating yummy food with my family. And, also, waking my cousins up early in the morning by throwing colour and water balloons when they are in bed,” she says, adding that it was all about “who does it first”, which many times meant waking up early to outwit the others.

“We used to happily wake up at 5am, on a holiday, just to do this. These are some of my favourite memories for sure,” says the actor, known for featuring in Live Telecast, Magadheera (2009) and Singham (2011).

While this year, she has an intimate celebration planned, she hopes to unite with her loved ones to enjoy the festival of colours next year.

“This pandemic has made it difficult to meet family and friends and we will miss celebrating with everyone we love but hopefully, next year everything will get normal,” she ends on a hopeful note.

Marriage changes everything, they say. It’s certainly turned Kajal Aggarwal’s social media feed on its head. From being someone who has been extremely reserved about her personal life, Kajal seems to have turned a corner ever since she tied the knot with Gautam Kitchlu in a traditional wedding in Mumbai on October 30. The pictures that she’s been sharing — be it from their wedding festivities, housewarming party, Diwali celebrations or their honeymoon in Maldives — have been a rage on social media. We wonder if the actress is enjoying not having to worry about keeping things under wraps any more? “Well, it feels great to go from Ms Aggarwal to Mrs Kitchlu,” says Kajal, laughing.

The actress, however is quick to add that unlike their fairytale-like photoshoots, her relationship with Gautam was serious and stable. “We’ve known each other for a long time and have been friends for the past eight years. More than the movies-like romance, our relationship has been stable, mature and healthy and we have grown together consistently over the years. In the end, getting married to each other just felt like the most natural progression,” she says.

Although Kajal and Gautam discussed the idea of settling down together, the actress admits that the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown sped things up. “We’ve known it for a while that we wanted to spend the rest of our life together, but the lockdown speeded up the process exponentially,” says Kajal, adding, “We got together and had a very earnest, heart-to-heart conversation envisaging a future together and decided to take it forward. Gautam was very conventional — he first took the permission of my parents. Then he went down on one knee and popped the question. It was so authentic, real and sincere. I found it adorable and unforgettable.”

Kajal’s real life romance may not be like the way it is in her movies, but the actress says her husband does enjoy watching her films. “He’s seen a few of my Tollywood films. Magadheera, Sita, Vivegam and Nene Raju Nene Mantri are his current favourites,” she says, with a laugh.

While the lockdown may have helped them get married sooner than expected, planning a wedding during the lockdown was a pretty huge task, shares Kajal. “It wasn’t easy for sure. We got everyone tested for COVID-19 and all the outstation guests were quarantined. Each and every vendor got tested. Every step and every decision took way longer than it would have normally. Thankfully, the wedding went by smoothly and it was a truly special day,” she says, adding that she hopes to have a reception for friends and family who they couldn’t host during the wedding.

Post her wedding, Kajal and Gautam moved into their new home in Mumbai, where they celebrated their first Diwali as a married couple recently. “It was very special indeed. We spent it with family. We had a puja at office and then a puja at home. We visited cousins and hosted a fabulous dinner at our place. Although Gautam and I had celebrated Diwali as friends before, this was the first time we were together the whole time. It was also our Diwali party at our new home. We played cards and made merry, it was perfect,” she recalls.

After the wedding of her dreams, Kajal had a lovely honeymoon soaking up the sun and admiring the blue ocean waters in Maldives. “We got ourselves tested upon departure and arrival both ways. We spent our honeymoon at a lovely resort island in Maldives. It was magical,” she says.

Kajal, who is all set to commence shoot for megastar Chiranjeevi-starrer Acharya next week, signs off saying, “As I enter a new phase in my life, I wish for health, love, the ability to hang in there and mental hygiene for our loved ones and those all around us.”

After a whirlwind wedding on Friday, Kajal Aggarwal and Gautam Kitchlu began a new chapter in their lives with a housewarming ceremony at their beautiful new home in Mumbai on Saturday. The newlyweds, accompanied by Kajal’s parents Vinay and Suman Aggarwal, sister Nisha with her family, and the entire Kitchlu khaandaan from Gautam’s side, made way to the dream home set up by the couple themselves. “Yes, the morning after the wedding began with a gruha-pravesh at their dream home. It was a beautiful, traditional ceremony. The duo were beaming with joy and we are all so proud of them. Next up, will be a puja for the newly-weds, which will be planned soon,” says Nisha.

The home has been a dream project for the duo, and has personal touches by both Kajal as well as Gautam, who is the founder of a home decor and interior design venture, himself. “It’s something they’ve both been working on personally, with so much passion. They’ve done it up with a lot of love, and it’s stunning,” says Nisha, adding that she wants the couple to have the pleasure of revealing more about their dream home themselves.

Kajal and Gautam ditched the usual loud colours and showy mandaps, and chose a geometric pink and rose-gold coloured dome instead. A wall of fresh flowers in pink and white made for a dreamy backdrop forthe mandap. Accents of fresh greenfoliage and frothy white blossoms dotted the venue — the ball-room of a plush Mumbai hotel. Guests, comprising close family and friends from both sides, were seated on traditional wooden chairs with white cushions.

The couple had a unique ceremony to mark their union with a perfect mix of Punjabi and Kashmiri wedding rituals. While Kajal kept her attire traditional with a red, heavily embroidered designer lehenga, she gave it a quirky twist by pairing it with a gold vaddanam (waist belt) and a temple jewellery style matha patti —a perfect ode to her South Indian connection. A pastel dupatta, fresh roses on the hair, custom made kaleeras dangling from her chooda, chandelier earrings and a kundan choker completed the look. Gautam looked dapper in an ivory sherwani that he paired with a nude coloured turban and a soft pink dupatta to match his bride.

Wedding festivities have commenced in full swing at the Aggarwal household as Kajal Aggarwal is all set to tie the knot with Gautam Kitchlu in Mumbai on Friday. The actress’ relatives have gathered at her Mumbai residence to be a part of ‘Team Bride’ as they gear up for the big day. Nisha Aggarwal, Kajal’s sister, tells us, “Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we’re keeping the celebrations low-key. Despite the restrictions in place, we’re trying our best to create the shaadi ka mahaul. We will be hosting traditional haldi and mehendi ceremonies at home. Both ceremonies will take place on the same day — October 29, a day before the wedding. We’re all extremely thrilled for Kajal and we’re so excited for her as she begins her new journey.”

Even as wedding preparations take place for Kajal’s big day, Nisha says it’s also an emotional time for the family. “My father has been looking forward to Kajal’s wedding day for so long, so it’s a special time for all of us. We’re also a bit emotional as Kajal will be getting married and leaving home. So at the moment, we’re trying to spend as much time as we can with her. But everyone wants a piece of the bride during this time, so I haven’t gotten to spend much time with her,” she sighs.

While Nisha is tight-lipped about the wedding venue, she says it will be a small ceremony with only close family members and friends in attendance. “Although low-key, the wedding will be a special one, that’s for sure. We have planned a little sangeet on the wedding day itself, so there’s going to be singing, dancing, love and laughter all around,” she says, adding, “Gautam is a great guy and I’m delighted to welcome him into the family. As for their love story, I’ll let Kajal be the one to share it with the world.”