Kajal Aggarwal has successfully built a career in both Bollywood and the South Indian film industry. Although she has worked with several Hindi film stars, she has noticeably reduced her Bollywood appearances in recent years, more so after adopting motherhood. In a recent interview, the actor explained that his decision stems from a desire to prioritize meaningful roles over simply increasing the number of projects.Kajal shared that the kind of opportunities she was getting in southern cinema aligned much better with her creative aspirations than what was on offer in Bollywood. He said in an interview with Shubhankar Mishra, “The quality of work I was doing in the South was not something I was getting in Bollywood. The roles I wanted: My priority was quality over quantity, and South was giving me such roles in abundance, so why would I do average roles in Bollywood? My priority was quality cinema. Language was never a barrier for me. I like the craft of making movies. It took me seven films to fall in love with my craft, but once I did, I was very committed.”The actor also highlighted a key difference between the two sectors: professionalism in terms of schedules. According to Kajal, punctuality is one area where Bollywood could take inspiration from the South. “Bollywood should learn punctuality from the South. In Hindi films, nothing is on time. In the South, they work according to the clock. I am used to being on time, and I like it that way. In Hindi, the timings are very slow.“Asked about the actor who made her wait the longest on a film set, Kajal named salman khan. Recalling the experience, he said, “Salman Khan has made me wait longer and I was not used to it. I wondered what was going on. He came in the afternoon or evening, so he was going to work out in the gym, which was on the set. I am used to the punctuality and discipline of southern cinema.”Reflecting on the changing landscape of South Indian cinema, Kajal observed that female characters are now being written with more depth and independence. She believes the industry has moved away from outdated depictions of women and is embracing a more progressive narrative. “South is now learning how to write liberal roles for Bollywood female leads and also older roles. They are no longer obsessed with the female navel. I always drew the line and never played those roles. You’re not shoving fruit in my navel, boss!”On the professional front, Kajal Aggarwal is gearing up for the release of The India Story. She is part of it too Nitesh TiwariRamayana Parts 1 and 2, where he will play Mandodari.