Rani Mukherji

Just a day after DIL BOLE HADIPPA hit the theatres; gorgeous Rani Mukherji breezed through Kolkata on a promotional tour. The actor gets candid with our correspondent.

You have almost taken over a year to come up with something so different-playing a male and a female in the same film…
Actually this film -DIL BOLE HADIPPA, demanded a lot of my time to prepare for the characters especially that of the cricketer I am playing. I had to learn to play cricket…and if you have already seen the film you should have realized that the film demanded me to be a very good batsman; I didn’t want people to come out of the theatres and say that I didn’t play the game realistically. So it took me about six months training and started to shoot after that. The shoot took about seven months. So, that’s the ‘hisab kitab’ of the year off I took.

How do you rate yourself as a cricketer?
You have to ask Sachin (Tendulkar) and Dhoni about that; ask them to rate me (smiles).

Do you like cricket?
Before doing this film…no. But now that I am into it I have realized that it’s not just a man’s but a lady’s game as well…there are certain technicalities that’s more important than the steps. I had a great time playing the game.

How was the response at the Toronto Film Festival?
It was absolutely overwhelming…we had a warm premiere there. Everyone was enjoying themselves thoroughly…they were whistling and laughing and having a good time.

Was it just cricket or something else that appealed to you about this film?

I think the sheer fact that I get to play a boy in the film and to play cricket is something that was very very challenging for me. I don’t think there are many Indian actresses who get to play a female cricketer in the film.

The transition from Veer and Veera in the film is really great. Tell us some funny moment that happened during the shoot.
Shahid (Kapur) used to get very depressed when I played Veer, because he was searching for his heroine. And when I used to play Veera, suddenly his face used to light up.

Did you get any attention from women when you dressed as a man?
Absolutely…there was too much for me to handle…(smiles); I don’t think you want to know the details (giggles).

How was the chemistry between Veer Pratap Singh and Sherlyn Chopra on screen?
I think it’s great. If you have seen the film, Veer is always after Sherlyn’s life…this character Veer and the character played by Sherlyn always crosses each other’s life. It was fun actually.

In the film we see Rakhi Sawant trying to woo you. How’s working with her?
It was lovely to work with Rakhi. She is an extremely sweet girl and very professional.

Does comedy comes naturally to you?
Strangely, I does. I don’t know how…but I really had fun playing Veer more than Veera. It’s fun to be a man (laughs).

We heard that Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan both helped you to play Veer…
Aamir gave me some tips on how to put a moustache, since I had to put on the beard and moustache for long hours in the sun and shoot. He taught me a method…that I should smile while putting the moustache…or else it gets very stiff with the glue on it. And Shah Rukh gave valuable tips on playing cricket. He is a great sportsman in real life…he had been a wicket-keeper himself. So he helped me with the net practice.