'I need to do different roles'

In a freewheeling interview with Jyothi Venkatesh, Rani Mukerjee says she will never quit films even if she gets married because acting gives her a high

What is your role in Bunty Aur Babli?

I play Babli while Abhishek Bachchan plays Bunty. It is about two crazy, small-town kids who want to come to Mumbai.

A bumbling police officer (Amitabh Bachchan) is on their trail.

How they leave their roots, evade the cop to reach their destination but finally decide to go back to their roots is what the story is all about.

What was it like working in Bunty Aur Babli?

It was wonderful working with Adi (producer) and Shaad Ali (director). I share a wonderful chemistry with both.

I had worked with Adi in both Hum Tum and Veer Zaara and with Shaad Ali in Saathiyaan earlier.

To what extent do you bank on Bunty Aur Babli as far as your career is concerned?

Bunty Aur Babli will present the charming side of me. However, I do not have any expectations from my films.

My mum always tells me that I shouldn't have any because if something does not happen, I wouldn't be sad.

How do you feel when you look back at your career?

If feels good when I look back at my career since my debut in Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat. Ten years have passed in a jiffy.

I have worked in as many as 37 films including Bunty Aur Babli. When you look at the journey of an actor, there are several ups and downs.

As an actor you get to meet a lot of people, travel a lot and are lucky to learn about cultures.

I have been lucky to work with good actors, including the four Khans — Shahrukh, Aamir, Salman and Saif.

And Amitabh Bachchan whose fan I was even as a little kid. When you talk of Indian movies, you automatically think of Bachchan.

How do you feel being in the top league of actresses?

I should say that I am indeed lucky. Adi told me that when he started writing the script of Veer Zaara, he had seen my face in Samia and had cast me for the role.

As a teenager, I would love the idea of romancing after watching Yash Chopra's movies. I would dream of working with a legend like him.

To what extent have your directors contributed to your growth as an actress?

I should confess that all my directors have given me opportunities to be versatile.

When Sanjay Leela Bhansali offered to cast me in Black, I wasn't sure whether I could pull it off. But it was his belief and faith in me that inspired me to take up the film.

As an actress, I cannot plan to act with X, Y or Z. It is up to the director to decide whether I suit the role.

An actor has a lot of choices when it comes to working with directors but it is sad that an actress does not have that choice.

Do you regret having started your career with C-grade films like Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat and Mehendi?

I think that everything in life is a learning experience. I do not regret having taken up any film till date. All my films so far have taught me something or the other.

I received a lot of flak for doing Hey Ram. But then, Mani Ratnam happened to watch the film and offered me Yuva, which in turn proved to be a turning point.

You have got to have a lot of patience and a positive attitude if you have to inch your way to success in showbiz.

My journey as an actor has made me wiser. It has taught me that to be a good actor, one has to be a good human being.

In what way have films like Black, Veer Zaara and Hum Tum changed you as an actress?

After working in films like Black, Hum Tum and Veer Zaara, I feel I have a big responsibility as an actor.

When I wake up in the mornings, I actually feel scared because I have to better what I do, go even beyond what I'm capable of.

It is not that I was not working hard before, but you have got to grab opportunities by the collar.

Who knows, just as my bad times were temporary, my good times could also be temporary. You never know.

What are your releases this year?

I think this year has seen the best phase of my career. Apart from Black, three other films will be released: The Rising opposite Aamir Khan, Bunty Aur Babli and Paheli opposite Shahrukh Khan.

My next film Babul with Bachchan playing my father-in-law and John Abraham playing my husband is slated to go on the floors by July this year.

From September, I will be a part of Karan Johar's next film Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, in which I will get to rub shoulders with Shahrukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Bachchan and Preity Zinta.

What kind of a high does being an actor give you?

I feel very excited to be an actor. I'd joined films when I was barely 16.

Circumstances made me act in a Bengali film even before I got the opportunity to work in Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat.

Films have always been a part and parcel of my existence. I can never quit films, even if I get married tomorrow.

What is Paheli all about?

Paheli is a love story between a ghost and a woman. It was the thought behind Paheli that appealed to me instantly when Amol Palekar narrated the subject to me.

Thanks to societal pressures, even modern women like me may not have the courage to do what she does in Paheli.

It is a fairytale, a folk tale. It talks about an era when women were in purdah and fairy tales were used to reach out to those women.

Today, I have become wiser with age. I am aware that sexual independence exists everywhere but we are scared and shy to project it to the world.

We try to safeguard a certain value system as Indians. Paheli dwells at length on this topic.

Is it a conscious move on your part to do different kinds of roles?

I need to do different kinds of roles. I cannot go on doing what is safe. I would like to do films with people who are like-minded.

I had a lot of fun working with Shahrukh Khan who played not only my husband but also a ghost in Paheli.

Though personally I do not believe in ghosts, I had to sleep with my parents after watching a horror film the other day.

Which films of yours would you rate as the turning points in your career?

Ghulam, Saathiyaan, Black, Yuva, Hum Tum, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and last but not the least, my latest release Bunty Aur Babli.

Is there any truth in the rumours that Abhishek and you are seeing each other?

Abhishek is a very good friend of mine. We are like Shahrukh Khan and Kajol. If there is romance off the screen, it will affect your shoot.

Our friendship translates very well on the screen. Because I am Abhishek's senior, I can boss around him on the sets with ease. As a good friend of Abhishek, I wish he gets a good wife.

While working with me in Black, Kabhi Khushie Kabhie Gham and Bunty Aur Babli, Amit uncle never made me feel he was a huge star.

He is very modest and sweet, like a father figure. He is like a child who wants to give his best shot.

I used to miss him while working with Abhishek in Bunty Aur Babli and vice-versa when I worked with Amit uncle in Black.