rani's interveiw!
Rani: "I have no affairs"
by: Sonali Velinker Kamat
May 20, 2003 (Mid-Day.com)


We want Rani Mukerji to tell us about her infamous friendship with Vivek Oberoi, the much-rumoured relationship with Govinda and any other controversial skeleton we can drag out of her closet.

We give her fair warning (by beating around the bush of course!) and she responds by saying, “If you are in the industry you have to deal with uncomfortable questions.”

So this will be a great, candid interview with an actress who will talk openly about her private life.

Sorry, you have the wrong girl. This girl is beautiful, confident and way too smart to say anything she doesn’t want the whole world to know.

Besides, she doesn’t have a mean thing to say about anyone — except the media that is. It’s no wonder then that she hasn’t featured in too many ‘exclusive, shocking media exposés’.

Over coffee — she's drinking, I’m not — she talks about ‘the industry’, friendships, her public image and her upcoming film, Chalte Chalte.

How do you manage to keep away from controversy?

I believe in doing my work and coming home after work. I don’t socialise with too many people, just certain friends. Some are people I’ve worked with, people I feel close to. I don’t usually get into people’s personal lives.

Still, the media manages to create link-ups because it sells. The truth is, I’m boring. I have no affairs and haven’t been part of any real controversy.

So you’re a good girl…

Yes, and I don’t think you can have that image if you are not. Everyone knows everything in this industry.

Your recent releases have been cast in the ‘good girl’ mould too. Is there something more dramatic lined up?

You’ll have to wait and see.

Have you been cast in Bajirao Mastani (the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film that Aishwarya Rai dropped out of)?

I’d rather wait till the people involved announce it themselves.

You replaced Aishwarya Rai in Chalte Chalte. Did that get ugly for you?

As a matter of fact, and I have said this before, I was the original choice for this role.

Shah Rukh spoke to me about the film during Asoka. I didn’t have dates, so Ash replaced me.

When she couldn’t do the film for whatever reason, Shah Rukh asked me to do it. I love Aamir and Shah Rukh in a different way. When Shah Rukh asks, I can’t say no.

You look great in the promotional videos. Have you lost weight, is there a new designer, a new stylist?

No. I don’t know why people always ask me about my weight. I’ve been like this for a long time now. Manish (Malhotra) has done the clothes and Mickey (Contractor) has done the makeup.

Tell us about the making of the film.

It was like stepping into a battlefield every day. With Shah Rukh’s back problem and the director’s (Aziz Mirza) wife in hospital, there was the stress of hoping, every single day, that we would not get bad news.

Still, we completed the film in record time (four months). I have learnt a lot on this film, personally and professionally. I had Shah Rukh as a co-star and I couldn’t ask for more. If Chalte Chalte does well, it will be a battle won.

Apparently you were quite a favourite at the IIFA Awards and in South Africa…

I have many fans there from my Kuch Kuch Hota Hai days. Back then, during my first world tour, they were screaming ‘Go Rani!’ They’re still doing that! The South African people give me a lot of love.

What’s next?

Calcutta Mail. That releases this July.