Rani Mukerji’s last few films - Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Tara Rum Pum and Saawariya - did not set the box office on fire and now the actor is banking on her angel avatar in Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic to end the box-office drought.
“I can vouch for the fact that being an angel is a hard task and portraying one on the screen is no easy job. For instance, even during sad moments, crying is not an angel’s forte. It was a challenging role in more than one way. There were a lot of action sequences and director Kunal Kohli made me do some gravity defying stunts that reminded me of Hrithik Roshan’s Krrish act. Imagine being hooked to a harness mid-air. But the air up there is much more refreshing,” she said with a smile.
The angel angle certainly reminds us of City of Angels and Mary Poppins but Rani brushes off the comparisons. “Thoda… has an Indian feel to it. To describe it in a few words, I’d say, it is a blend of the fantasy element with the real world. It does not have the Tara Rum Pum hangover either, the only common link is the Saif-Rani jodi, and the similarity ends there. This is my third film with Saif, and I feel, we have evolved as actors since Hum Tum. There are four kids in the film and two of them were facing the camera for the first time and it was amazing to see how well they adapted to the entire situation. My last two films, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Saawariya were of the serious sort and the role required a certain amount of maturity but this film has been quite a different journey. It gave me a chance to relive many of my childhood moments and fantasies.”
Moving to her next project, she says, “In July, I will start working on debutant director Anurag Singh’s film with Shahid Kapoor. I play a cricketer in the film, so right now I am busy learning the tricks of the game.”
As for something exciting on the cards with her favourite co-star, Shah Rukh Khan, she adds, “It’s been a couple of years since Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna happened and I am hoping something nice with Shah Rukh will soon come across and of course I will grab the offer.”
While things are usually bright on the work front, Rani’s personal life is bogged down with controversies, mainly her alleged relationship with filmmaker Aditya Chopra. “Every other day a controversy, which has no truth to it, is created about me. And the false news spreads like wild fire. I have a busy schedule and it is not possible to come up with clarifications every time, I just hope there will be a full stop to all of this someday,” she rues.
