In early 2013, Aggarwal starred in V. V. Vinayak's action film Naayak opposite Ram Charan Teja and Amala Paul.[52] Upon release, it received positive reviews and was a major commercial success.[53] She later starred in the Hindi film Special 26, a heist drama directed by Neeraj Pandey. It went on to be a major critical and commercial success.[54] She later appeared in Srinu Vaitla's Baadshah opposite Jr. NTR for the second time in her career. Upon release critics appreciated her performance. The Times of India commented "Kajal is as usual an eye-candy. She's got a good role and has done justice to her performance. Also she looks stunning in the songs."[55] The film was a financial success, cementing her position in Telugu cinema.[56] Her final release in 2013 was All in All Azhagu Raja opposite Karthi which released on Diwali to negative reviews from critics.
