The portrayal of Ashutosh Rana as Gokul Pandit in filmmaker Tanuja Chandra’s Dushman still haunts many viewers to this day. The psychological thriller, released in 1998, featured Kajol in a dual role, one of which was that of a rape victim. In a recent interaction, Kajol admitted that due to the film’s intense subject matter, she was hesitant to take it up. The actor shared that she agreed to do the film only after producer Pooja Bhatt and director Tanuja Chandra assured her of a safe and respectful environment on set.
Speaking to Lallantop, she said, “It was a very difficult role. It was a subject matter. I had refused the film. Pooja Bhatt had approached me for the film because she was producing it, she wanted me to do the film. But I was like, ‘I love the script. I love the idea, but I don’t want to portray any kind of molestation or rape on screen. Not because of anything else but as an actor when you are acting in that emotion, you feel all those things. As an actor, I don’t need to do that. I can show my acting prowess in other things.”‘
Kajol added that since she played a rape victim in the film, she was extremely uncomfortable shooting those scenes. However, having a female producer and director gave her the confidence to go ahead with the project. She shared, “Then Tanuja and Pooja made me understand. They said, ‘Don’t worry about it. We are women, we understand, and we will figure this out, and we will shoot with a body double and we will do this and that, and we will not do anything that you are uncomfortable with at any point, so yes, that’s how Dushman came to be.”‘
In Dushman, Kajol played the dual role of twin sisters. After one sister becomes the victim of a brutal rape and murder by the sadistic killer and rapist Gokul Pandit—played chillingly by Ashutosh Rana — the other sister pledges to take revenge. During her journey, she meets a blind military veteran, portrayed by Sanjay Dutt, who trains her to fight back and confront Gokul. The film earned widespread critical acclaim for its storytelling, performances, and intense subject matter.
Dushman released in the same year as Kajol’s blockbuster Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. While the latter became a massive hit and gained immense popularity among audiences, Dushman remained a niche yet powerful film that left a lasting impact for its gritty narrative and bold themes.
