After playing variety of roles, Rani Mukerji will be seen in a completely different avatar in No One Killed Jessica - she plays a journalist who smokes cigarettes and hurls abuses.

"(Director) Rajkumar Gupta wanted me to give the impression of a strong journalist and to represent media as it is. I have seen a few female reporters smoke. I am just playing you all...so you can't put me in trouble for this," Rani, a non-smoker, told reporters here Thursday.

The film's first look was unveiled and Rani was seen using Hindi abuses in the trailer of the film, which deals with model Jessica Lall's murder case. Jessica was shot dead by Manu Sharma, son of a Haryana politician, in 1999.

Rani said she didn't have to go an extra mile to play the role in No One Killed Jessica, which also features Vidya Balan.

"Thanks to my career, I have met a lot of reporters and anchors. So I didn't have to meet any one specific for my characterisation in the film. Rajkumar just wanted me to use my experience with journalists to be like them in the film," she said.

Gupta says abuses were imperative to Rani's role.

"The abuses have been used to define attitude and not in a derogatory sense. These days abuses are a part and parcel of conversational language and we didn't feel that there was any harm in using them," said Gupta.

The cast and crew of the movie hope that the censor allows the film to pass without the beeps so that the audience gets a real taste of the movie.

The film, produced by UTV Spotboy, will release Jan 7.

A catfight among two leading ladies in a Bollywood film is a common thing in the industry, and while there are exceptions in the case, most heroines end up in a verbal duel or sometimes in a cold war after working together in a film. And hence it was not very unnatural for the media to speculate a rift between Rani Mukerji and Vidya Balan, the leading ladies of No One Killed Jessica.

However, this does not seem to be the case with the mature Vidya Balan. She has gone on record claiming that she not only enjoyed working with her senior in the industry Rani, but also shared some fun moments with her while filming No One Killed Jessica. Wish we could only hear the same from Rani Mukerji too!

No One Killed Jessica is based on the story of the murder of model Jessica Lal and the police and court proceedings followed the gunshot which took away her life inside a bar. Though the Rajkumar Gupta production is expected to run into controversy considering that it is based on a true murder story, Vidya Balan does not agree, saying that the director has taken care to stick to facts while filming the sensitive issue.

The flick which has the basic storyline touching the real life instances from Jessica Lal,is running into troubled waters as according to the censor board the film has too many expletives' used by the protagonist Rani Muherjee.

The abusive language which goes beyond the comprehension of kids has a lot of relevance in the film considering the gory details in the storyline where the frustration of Jessica's sister has been portrayed with a true flavor of realism, but this very broad minded free usage of the abusive words by the film makers, who have tried to make a realistic film with the commercial aspect kept in mind too, has not gone down well with the censor board.

As of now, all the promos of the film have beeps in the place of the abusive language or words, but to get released in theaters such beeps will not be used, hence the ripples caused by the foul language by Rani Mukherjee in the flick is creating a lot of ripples already. It remains to be seen what action finally is taken by the censors.

Posted: Dec 21, 2010 at 1236 hrs IST

Rani Mukherji plays a television crime reporter in No One Killed Jessica.Guess the time for 'The Rising' has come for Rani Mukherjee. No, we are not talking about her last release with Aamir Khan which tanked at the Box Office!
Rani is at an all time high in her career in 2010. But let us warn you. Never say that No One Killed Jessica is her come back film or she'll say, "Are you mad? This is not my comeback film. I haven't gone anywhere to come back to films. I was always there. It's just that No One Killed Jessica is portraying me in a never before done role. It's aggressive to the core and that's why people think that I have made a comeback of sorts."

That doesn't take away from Rani Mukherjee her madness for movies. She says, "What the audiences are trying to say is that they know for the fact, touchwood that No One Killed Jessica will work for me individually. For them, the word 'comeback' means that but it's their opinion."

She also planning a comeback of sorts with her The Rising co-star Aamir Khan. Rani will be seen with Khan in Reema Kagti's untitled suspense drama, which is being produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's Excel Entertainment. She said, "It's been more than five years that we shared screen space together. Working with Aamir is special because there is a lot of comfort level because he is such a great friend of mine. When you are comfortable with your co-actor, work is going to be definitely easy. On the flip side, when you are pitted against such a great actor like Aamir, work is only going to excel".

Smartly put Rani but what about your other friend, close friend and great friend SRK? Isn't he special too?

She smiled and said, "For me, I've always said it that two people will always remain special for me, Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. I look upon them as somebody from whom I'm going to learn a lot. The way they've handled their film careers has only reinstated the fact that they are the best we have today and they will continue to be so."

One thing's sure that Rani isn't in a mood to play good cop bad cop. Aamir Khan, you heard?

"Actors are beggars! They wait for good scripts to come their way. It's always the makers who decide to make a film and then it's on the actors to choose what they want to do on the basis of what is being offered to them, " Rani, who will feature in a never-before-seen avatar in "No One Killed Jessica", told in an interview.

"Honestly, the kind of roles that are being offered to me, I have to think hard before taking them. I have a responsibility towards my fans and I can't do random things. I have to do a role that catches people's attention. If my fans love me so much, the least I can do is to come out with a good film for them; that's why I do fewer films now, " said the 32-year-old.

The dusky damsel wants to be seen more, but somehow she is not so lucky.

"I keep hoping and praying that I get scripts which are different so that I can take up those films. As an actor I want to be seen.

"The constant reaction that I keep getting is that 'Rani, we want to see more of you', and I too want to do more films. In fact, I want to come out with two-three films every year, but I've not been really lucky that I could do that. I'm not getting the roles that I really want to do, " she said.

Rani, who used to do a couple of films a year earlier, has squeezed it down to just one project per year now. In the last three years, Rani was seen in just two films "Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic" and "Dil Bole Hadippa", but both failed to spin any magic at the box office.

She is, however, very optimistic about 2011 when her "No One Killed Jessica" will hit the screens. Slated for a Jan 7 release, the film, based on the murder of model Jessica Lall in 1999 by Manu Sharma, son of a Haryana politician, will see her as a gutsy, fearless and bold crime reporter Meera Gaitey.

"When I was approached for this role, I was told that when the case was going on, there were a lot of reporters who pursued it actively. In a film, we obviously can't have all of them. So my character is an amalgamation of all of them, " said Rani.

"It would have been unfair to model the character on one person. So, I played it how I thought the character would be. Also I have taken bits from reporters I have met in so many years. I incorporated inputs from my observation, " she added.

It was a long battle for Sabrina Lall to fight for justice for her sister and finally Manu Sharma was awarded life imprisonment by the Supreme Court. The film, which has been produced by UTV Spotboy and directed by Rajkumar Gupta, also features Vidya Balan as Sabrina Lall.

Throwing some light on her experience of working with Vidya, Rani said her co-star is very involved as an actor.

"Vidya is a method actor, which is what I have seen during the shooting of the film. She gets very involved in her character. She is a kind of actor who prepares a lot before coming on the sets. When she has to do a serious scene, I have seen her being very quiet and serious, " she said.

"When she worked with me, she got a pleasant surprise because I'm fun on the sets and she didn't expect that. The minute she used to look at me, she used to start laughing because she finds me very naughty, " she added.

Well, we know that both Rani and Vidya do not shy away from playing bold roles onscreen, but that the two women could pull off such a stunt for the television camera is something that their fans were not prepared for.

According to reports, Rani Mukerji and Vidya Balan engaged in a passionate lip- lock at a stage event held in the recent past.

The videos doing the rounds on the net are evidence of the fact that the earlier warring actresses Rani Mukerji and Vidya Balan have kissed and made up, literally!

Ever since the promotional clips of their upcoming film together No One Killed Jessica was released on television, people started praising Rani Mukerji, considering that her character of a journalist is a more powerful role compared to Vidya Balan's role of Jessica's real life sister Sabrina Lal.

And it was this fact that was apparently giving Vidya Balan sleepless nights, also the root cause of her catfight with costar Rani Mukerji.

However, the fight is a thing of the past now. Both actresses are professionals in real life and thus they agreed to take that extra step to promote No One Killed Jessica well.

So is the lip-lock only a promotional gimmick? Though many will be thinking so, Rani Mukerji and Vidya Balan looked really happy and enjoyed each other's company while performing the lip-lock on stage!

Posted On Monday, February 14, 2011 at 02:02:55 AM

Expect the unexpected in Bollywood. An incident on Saturday night sent shock waves in the film industry when at a film-television awards function Rani Mukerji and Yash Chopra completely ignored each other.

The function was organised at the Yash Raj Studios and Rani, who is currently dating the YRF scion Aditya Chopra did not even acknowledge Chopra’s presence at the venue, let alone talk to him.

Rani’s last release with Chopra was the Shahid Kapoor starrer Dil Bole Hadippa! in 2009, which incidentally was a huge box-office success.

You wonder what transpired in the interim to have caused what seems like a rift between the two.

Says an eyewitness, “Everyone who walked past Yash Chopra spoke to him with utmost respect. Even those who saw him at a distance went up to him and greeted him. However, Rani did not make any such efforts.

She arrived at the function a bit late but she passed by Chopra at least twice, without looking at him even once. Moreover, both Rani and Chopra were standing quite close to each other at the bar area, where they had a good chance to mingle but they didn’t.

While leaving, Rani kissed a few colleagues goodbye and left with a friend.”

It can be argued that Chopra could also have started a conversation with Rani. Adds the witness, “Yes, but Yashji is a very senior man in the industry.

Ideally, Rani should have taken the initiative. All said and done, everyone present at the function was quite shocked at her behaviour.”

It maybe recalled that Rani was not spotted at Chopra’s 40th wedding anniversary bash in August last year. Reveals a source, “Rumour has it that Rani and Aditya will tie the knot this year.”

Then why doesn’t it all add up? Didn’t Chopra and his wife Pamela bless Rani at an awards function in January last year, after performed on stage? The source clarifies, “Yes, they did. They have nothing personal against Rani. But Yash and Pamela’s heart is still with Aditya’s ex-wife Payal.”

PriyankaSinha Posted: Feb 26, 2011 at 1206 hrs IST

After the resounding success of No One Killed Jessica, Rani Mukerji is back for seconds. An update on movies she wants to make, enduring faith and more.

Rani Mukerji is quizzing a chef for a recipe to cook salmon at her office in Juhu one minute and planning dinner with friends the next.

“Aurus, Don Giovanni, Marriott?” She rattles off the options and in a jiffy, decisions are in place. Call her mercurial, someone who knows her mind or an adroit multi-tasker, the actor who was written off recently is having the last word. No One Killed Jessica with Rani in the role of the feisty television reporter Meera Gaiety has netted 30 crore in collections turning the widely held notion of heroine centered projects being poor box- office propositions. Siddharth Roy Kapoor, CEO, UTV Motion Pictures, which produced the film, says that the film has certainly put Mukerji, a classical beauty and wide ranging, one-of-a-kind actor, firmly back on Bollywood’s successful and most-wanted list.

Director Rajkumar Gupta, who helmed the film, describes her as a complete actress whose energy and spunk made her a perfect fit in the role while Kareena Kapoor, one of Bollywood’s leading ladies when asked of her closest competitor in Bollywood mentioned Rani Mukerji’s name! Clearly things are looking good for the actor readying for her next with Reema Kagti toplining Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor.

“I used to work like a dog when I was 17. Now it’s a little different. Luckily, I am at that stage when I can do one film at a time and really enjoy it. It gives me time to spend with the film I am working on,” avers the actor.

The quality time mantra has obviously worked in her favour. Between work and the aforementioned dinner plans, Rani Mukerji makes time to answer questions on success, failure and why she is here to stay.

After the success of No One Killed Jessica, what’s your take on the audience’s attitude towards heroines?I have a new perspective — our audience loves the heroines but they like to watch them with particular heroes. I guess that’s the only way to understand or define audience perspective on actresses. For example, My Name Is Khan had a large audience but Kajol had a following too because people want to watch her with Shah Rukh.

Heroines are taking risks and experimenting, so will they ever equal the might of the Hindi film heroes?
It’s entirely possible. Sridevi and Hemaji were heroes among heroines. These things are aspirational. We want it to happen. Julia Roberts can get as big a money as a big hero in Hollywood. In terms of talent we are not lacking. In terms of adding value to a film, it’s the same but we don’t have a Julia Roberts in India who can garner that sort of revenue for a film. Or Sandra Bullock — their films have garnered that kind of business. ...Jessica is a hit but it hasn’t done a business of 90-100 crore, which is basically what people expect of a big film to become a blockbuster. It has not happened here.

There is a lot of talk about Rani finally giving the nod to films outside the Yash Raj banner. Comment.
I have always said that an actor sits and chooses what he/she has at his/her disposal. He can’t sit and say, “Today I want to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali,” and think it will happen. It is the director who chooses. If I were to get a great offer from outside, why would I not accept it? At that point the offers I got from Yash Raj were so great and good— those films were made around me. It’s my bad luck that they didn’t work but I can’t shy away from the fact that those were my choices. I felt that they were better for me. Yes, because it had become a pattern it just seemed that I was doing films only with one banner, but it wasn’t like that.

There is also talk of you teaming up once again with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, so do you feature in his next?
When Sanjay decides and chooses to work with me and if it’s worth my while, which I know it will be because it is Sanjay, then I will definitely do so.

Did failure make you rethink your work choices?
When a film doesn’t work, you realise that the story has not interested the audience enough. Just because a movie has not done well does not mean that I have not enjoyed doing it. I have enjoyed each and every film of mine and each and every character despite box-office success or failure. I do have the knowledge to understand that a certain film I have enjoyed has not gone down well with the people and because I have seen failure and success, it is not going to bog me down. It’s a phase that everyone goes through and if you are strong, you will get up and go on. So I find it very funny when certain people write me off. Film viewers make you a star and they are the ones who will decide you are not a star any more. As long as they want to see you, you can rock.

How tough is it to hold on to your confidence that through a rough patch?
Confidence comes from the fact that I know my job. Today I may have gone through a stint wherein my films failed but they can’t take away what I have. I started from a place where I was a nobody. After that I have reached a certain place so if people write me off, it doesn’t bother me because what I have achieved is a lot. I have no complaints because even with my failures, there are achievements. If people notice when you have failed it means you have achieved a certain degree of success. My films not doing well is also news, so I guess I am fine.

At this stage of your career, what kind of films would you like to work in?
I am trying to do all kinds of cinema keeping the entertainment aspect in the foreground. I want to do films that reach out to many people and within that I try to create a balance with movies like No one Killed Jessica. I have a body of work wherein I have played different characters and I want to continue with that. Whether it is Michelle McNelly in Black or Babli in Bunty Aur Babli or my Yuva character, they have been noticed and appreciated. Like the biggest high I got from No One Killed Jessica is the fact that I have played a modern Indian woman of today. I am not shying away from what today’s women are and I got appreciated for it. I like the fact that people liked my new avatar of Meera Gaiety. I think Meera will be one of the most remembered characters in Hindi cinema. There was an elderly couple who met me recently at an event and the nicest thing they said to me was, “We are big fans of your films but the thing we like most about you is the manner in which you have portrayed Indian women.”

I had never thought that my fans, that too a 60-year-old man, would make such an observation. It made me feel really nice.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I also love romantic films. As an audience I would also like to watch a love story but yes, a love story that is slightly edgy is better liked today.

In the era of adaptations and remakes, is there any Hollywood remake in which you would want to star?
I would have to be something along the lines of Erin Brokovich.

I shall ask you to play favourites and choose the character that you like most.
Meera Gaiety, because she is rocking and gets things done, Michelle of Black and there is a tie between my Hum Tum character Riya Prakash and Babli.

Babli was a lot of fun but she began robbing. She was a simple girl with big dreams but was not ready to compromise. When that guy in the Miss India tells her to compromise, she slaps him. Riya Prakash is a strong, simple girl who loses her husband at a young age and yet carries on with her life. To be working, independent and successful is really hard so it was nice to play these characters.

Who would you say is the closest to the modern Indian woman as we know her?
Suhaani from Saathiya, I would say. She is a doctor and travels by train. A girl who won’t compromise her personal life and chooses the person that she wants to marry.

Why not Maya from Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna?
Maya is not really born and brought up in India, so I can’t call her the modern Indian woman. In terms of a modern Indian women, I would say Suhaani. She comes from a middle-class family where she is expected to settle with what her parents bring to the table for her, but she does her own thing. There are more Suhaanis in India than Riya or Maya.

Which of your characters is most similar to you?
In terms of attitude it would be Babli and Meera Gaiety mixed together and in terms of determination, unflinching faith that nothing is impossible, it would have to be Michelle.

Who are the directors with whom you wish to work?
For me it’s important to have comfort level with the director. I’d like to work with Anurag Kashyap though I am doing a film written by him. I would love to work with Imtiaz Ali because he makes great love stories and I am a sucker for them, and also Vishal Bhardwaj and Aditya Chopra. I have great chemistry with Adi so if I work in a film directed by him it would be fabulous. I’m also eager to work with Yash- uncle because I want to be directed by him in a love story, Zoya Akhtar (with whom my chemistry is kickass) and Farhan Akhtar too. And of course, Aamir Khan though I might enjoy working with Kiran Rao more. After I watched Dhobi Ghat, I asked Kiran, “When are you working with me?”

And then there is Mira Nair. I love her spirit, and the energy she brings to a movie. I have a long list, that is why I feel Jessica is just the beginning of a new phase in my life. I would also like to work with new directors because they have enthusiasm and energy.

The choice of leading men in your films would include...
I want to work with my favourite trio of Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh.

Shah Rukh had said once that heroines are now looking to act with younger actors...
He certainly wasn’t talking of me (Laughs)!

Rani was all set to give her fans what they want and had zeroed in on a Sabya sari for the mega event, Cannes Film Festival but she won't be able to attend it now she confided in a Chivas

Renuka Vyavahare I TNN

Posted On Friday, May 13, 2011 at 06:53:15 PM

The actress won't be going to Cannes with Sabya anymore. All eyes were on Rani Mukherjee, one of the finest actresses of Bollywood, because was to be her first Cannes appearance.

Rani was all set to attend the festival on May 18 along with good friend and ace designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. While the rest are opting for western wear, everyone wanted to see the queen of Bollywood dazzle in a sari. Rani was all set to give her fans what they want and had zeroed in on a Sabya sari for the mega event.

Everything was set. The actress however informed Chivas today that she won't be attending the festival. She has cancelled her visit owing to her dad's health issues. Our source close to Rani confirmed, "Rani won't be going to Cannes anymore. Her dad is unwell and she doesn't want to leave him at this point."