‘A personal choice’: Kajal Aggarwal on judgment female actors face for ‘bold’ scenes | Bollywood News

4 min readNew DelhiJul 19, 2026 06:06 PM Ahead of the release of Toxic, the makers unveiled the song “Tabaahi“, featuring Yash and Kiara Advani. The music video drew criticism on social media over its steamy scenes. While both actors appeared in the intimate sequences, much of the backlash was directed at Kiara. Amid the backlash, actor Kajal Aggarwal has responded to a question about why female actors are often criticised for doing ‘bold’ scenes, particularly after marriage, while male actors rarely face similar scrutiny.
During an interview with Shubhankar Mishra, Kajal was asked why men and women are often judged differently for performing intimate scenes on screen. The actor replied, “I think it becomes a personal choice. A man should use his brain and make a choice if he wants to do it or not. It should come from inside, that I don’t want to do it. Women are more cautious about it.”
Speaking about her own personal preference, she said, “I can only speak about myself. I have never done such roles. I have never been up for intimacy on screen, or wearing anything that I am not comfortable with – for example a bikini on screen. I have never done roles like that because I feel uncomfortable. I just say no. I have rejected many big films because of this reason. But, I am okay to give it up. That is my personal boundary and I don’t want to cross it. That is an internal thing for me.”
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How motherhood changed Kajal Aggarwal’s film choices
Kajal Aggarwal is married to entrepreneur Gautam Kitchlu, and the couple has a 4-year-old son named Neil Kitchlu. During the interview, Kajal also said becoming a mother has significantly influenced the kind of roles she now chooses. “Post my child, I just want to ensure that my child should feel comfortable when he grows up and watches my movies. I don’t want him to squint or feel uncomfortable or think ‘Why did my mother do this?’ I am very clear about that. I think about my son and I don’t want him to say ‘What were you thinking?’ I don’t want that to ever come up. So, I want to be cautious of the projects I choose. I want him to watch his mother’s films proudly, hence I am selecting the films I am selecting.”
Earlier, actor Benedict Garrett, who is also part of Toxic, reacted to those targeting Kiara Advani for appearing in ‘bold’ scenes in Geethu Mohandas’ film.
“I’ve seen people praising Yash, filling his comments with fire emojis and saying how amazing he looks. But when it comes to Kiara Advani, she’s become the butt of jokes. People are saying things like, ‘Oh, she only just got married… she’s a mother… she’s on a honeymoon with Yash instead of Sidharth Malhotra (Kiara’s husband).’ Seriously,” he said in a video posted on Instagram.Story continues below this ad
The actor continued, “Yash is also married, and he also has children. So why is only the woman getting the abuse, while the man apparently gets the applause? Len, here’s the reality check. They are actors. Their job is to act… to portray characters… to make you believe that they are in love, even when they’re not. Their job is to tell stories that reflect the human experience.”
On the work front, Kajal Aggarwal will next be seen in The India Story. Also starring Shreyas Talpade in the lead role, the film is scheduled to hit theatres on July 24.