Bollywood's reigning Rani Mukherjee

Genuine light brown eyes and a genuine hundred-watts smile and that husky voice. Nothing about Rani Mukherjee is made up. Not even her thoughts. There is a smoldering delicacy to her. Meeting Rani Mukherjee is a unique experience. She sizes you up and gets on with spilling her guts out. At 28, she has reached this stage because she can work with different kinds of directors, on different levels.

"If the movie doesn't charge me when I watch it, I tell the director. If it can't touch me, it won't do anything for the audience. That level of frankness and communication I must have with my director," says Rani, earnestly.

And with an equal amount of refreshing frankness, she says, she was never a confident child. "I didn't think I had the looks of a 'heroine'!" Her maternal aunt, Debashree Roy, is her inspiration and not Kajol, her cousin from her father's family, as many would like to believe.

As a child, she may not have been confident, but as an actress, the hysteria she generated right from 'Ghulam' (often mistaken as her debut whereas her first film was 'Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat') cast her far ahead of established actresses.

Whether it's her role as a wronged wife and daughter-in-law in 'Mehendi', as the young, misfit in 'Ghulam', or the all-Indian woman in 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', she has portrayed each character with panache. Ask her about her nose for roles, and she says, "It's very important for me to be part of a good film. You are good, if the film is good. The film is the real hero."

 

After 'Black', there is no looking back for her, Karan Johar's new movie 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna' (KANK) is on the anvil for release, Rani has been taking it a bit easy - what with the hectic New York shooting schedule, her home being renovated and the IIFA awards in Dubai.

 

But for all her success, she hasn't forgotten her teething troubles in the industry. "My mother told Salim Akhtar, after she saw my mahurat shot, 'Save your film. Let my daughter go!' I was so raw and untrained. I started going to Roshan Tarneja's acting school - doing morning and evening batches."

Rani writes off the 'Chori Chori Chupke Chupke' episode by clarifying that it is not fair to hold her responsible. "I signed on the dotted line, like I would for any other film. It is only after this particular incident (of the Underworld financing movies) that my parents look into the backgrounds of those involved with the film." 

Family means everything to her. She loves her brother Raja, the way only a sister can and she says as much, "I think brothers and sisters share a relationship that is so original. No one can replace blood," says Rani. Now there is her little niece who has come to make her abdicate her place in her family, that of 'rani' of her home! "We can't seem to get enough of her really"

 

This is not an act put on for the benefit of the media, she's always been the one to put her family first and almost nothing is heard about her love-life. True, the media and many of her fans would love her to marry Abhiskek Bachchan, or as recently, the media claims she is responsible for breaking director Aditya Chopra's marriage - the lady herself has always been dignified and kept her mouth shut.

So, where does romance fit into her plans or is she just concentrating on her career right now?  SHe says, "Even though there is a lot of emotion on the set, it's not as if all this romance, is actually happening to me. And I have already ditched a poor unsuspecting soul in college, because my parents didn't approve of him! I don't want to mess up my karma anymore, by making some other guy go through it," Rani laughs and adds, "I will marry only with my parents' blessings."

She'a also not mouthing platitudes about doing 'serious' cinema to win a National award. She choses her roles with care and then infuses them with her screen presence, emotions and acting skills. This is something all those waiting for 'meaningful roles' but do a shoddy job of acting, should learn from her.

Rani is very candid about the films she's done so far and feels people don't want to come to movies to see reality but want the works - romance, dance & song and fantasy. She says, "You can't expect films to be realistic. No one wants to be accosted with images from their real life."

That is Rani Mukherjee for you - a simple, honest, fresh-faced and super-talented beauty. She calls a spade, a spade. She entrances you with some wonderful acting skills and is miles ahead of her peers. She's won many hearts for her onscreen performances, and it's only a matter of time before her offscreen Prince Charming walks into her life.

So, let's raise a toast to the Queen of Hearts!

Bina Bakshi

 

(The author is a freelance journalist.)