"If Babul does well, I will give credit to..." - Rani

Courtesy: IndiaFM
Monday, November 13, 2006
Rani Mukherji gets candid on camera with Arnab Goswami. She talks exclusively on Times Now about her life, private moments, friends and family. Get to know another side of Rani on the show. Below are the few excerpts of the chat so you know what you can expect.

Arnab: But why? Are you diplomatic?
Rani: I am diplomatic.

Arnab: You are a cautious person?
Rani: I am... because I believe that one's frankness should not hurt another person.

Arnab: Ok. There are 2 Rani Mukerjis that I know. There is one who is absolutely divine looking - I would say the more recent Rani Mukherjee and there is another Rani Mukerji where she did lots of films but she is not the Rani Mukerji who is sitting before me now. She is not the Rani Mukerji of Black. She is not the Rani of more recent films. What happened to the old one?
Rani: I just grew up.

Arnab: No tell me honestly
Rani: Yes I did.

Arnab: How many years have you been acting?
Rani: Around 11 years

Arnab: and there were 2 phases?
Rani: No, I would not call them 2 phases. I would say that film industry is an industry where you grow with every film of yours. It is a gradual process where you have to experience & experience & experience & then you realise what you really want to do. Probably when you are younger you do a film because you want the money or you do a film because you just want to be a part of the film, work with a particular co-star or work in a director's film who you have admired. So there are different priorities when you get into the industry & then you realise that 'no this is not what I am here for'. I really want to enjoy my work. And when that happened the change in my films happened & the change in me happened, because I got a little more focused... not that I wasn't focused before but yes I wasn't as focused as I am now.

Arnab: What was the one film which made the change?
Rani: Not one film. There were a lot of films that I did where I really dint want to be a part of those films but I did because my parents had agreed to do those films.

Arnab: You were not taking the decisions yourself?
Rani: No. Because I was young & there were certain decisions which I felt were fine if my parents took.

Arnab: They wanted you to be in the film industry?
Rani: Not they. My mother especially. She was very determined that I be an actress & she was the one who actually instilled the germ in my head that I could be an actor because I never really thought so.

Arnab: You didn't want to?
Rani: I never really thought that I was talented or could be part of this industry.

Arnab: Then why did your mother think so?
Rani: Because she thought that I was pretty!

Arnab: As simple as that?
Rani: As simple as that. Because my mother's younger sister is a film actor in Calcutta & the number one star there. So my mother had this thing in her mind & heart that she wants her daughter to be an actress & today hats off to her she has made her daughter into an actress.

Arnab: When you came to this industry - you know what they say about this rat race - even if you come first you will still remain a rat? How competitive was it?
Rani: No not really. People who stay out of the industry thinking it's a rat race but to be very honest as you said we are frankly speaking... frankly speaking I would say that when you come into the industry you just want to be accepted by the industry. So it's not about being competitive with anybody else.

Arnab: It's also like having a brand? I mean you have to have something that people remember you for?
Rani: No that is inborn.

Arnab: The reason I am pushing this forward is I've an image of Rani Mukherjee in say a film like Hello Brother - slapstick image & the Rani Mukherjee of Black or even somewhere in between the Rani Mukherjee of Saathiya. Very different. It must have been a deliberate decision somewhere? Something must have happened & you would have told yourself that no I am not getting anywhere with this kind of stuff.
Rani: No it's not about slapstick. It's not as if I've only done slapstick in that phase, I've done a lot of films. I've done Hey Ram during that phase & which I think a lot of people appreciated. So it's not as if Hello Brother is the only film I've done. People do forget the other films that I've done during that phase.

Arnab: Are you angry about that phase?
Rani: No not at all

Arnab: I will talk about your present phase later on but for now am talking about that phase of 'Had Kardi Aapne', 'Chalo Ishq Ladaye'...
Rani: ...Bichu, Baadal... a lot of films are there. It's not as if I've done these films & I am not proud of it. I am proud of all my films because every film has somewhere in my life taught me a lot of things. Because for me to get a break in films was a big thing & then to be accepted.

Arnab: Why was it a big thing?
Rani: Of course it was a big thing. Who would want to cast a person like me? I didn't know myself that I would be an actor.

Arnab: But your mother thought?
Rani: Yes my mother thought.

Arnab: Were you under-confident?
Rani: I would not say I was under confident but there is something where you don't really believe that you can do a certain thing ...

Next