Rani Mukerji will return to the big screen, three years after Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, with Mardaani 3. The stakes are high as the National Award-winning actress returns as Shivani Shivaji Roy in the third instalment of the YRF-backed film.
The actress recently completed 30 years in films. One of the things that differentiates her from her contemporaries is her husky voice. In fact, during her career's start, the actor's voice would be dubbed from her films. In an exclusive interaction with India TV, Rani Mukerji reflected on the early days of her career – especially the time when her voice was dubbed in Ghulam (1998). She spoke at length about how she processed that decision and what it taught her about filmmaking. Looking back, Rani explained that she has always believed in approaching films as a team effort, where individual feelings often take a back seat to what is perceived as the larger good of the project.
Reflecting on that mindset, she said, “Jab hum film karte hain, tab hamein as a team player rehna hain. Jab koi bhi decision liya jaata hain film ke prati, that is a much bigger decision. The intention of wanting to do the best for the film (When we make a film, we have to function as team players. Any decision taken for a film is a bigger decision, driven by the intention to do what is best for the film)."
She added that she never questioned the intent behind the choice that was made, saying, “Main hamesha se ye sochti thi ki agar unhone ye decision liya tha, wo unke hisaab se tha, wo sahi ho ya galat ho wo sahi baat hain (I always felt that if they took that decision, it was according to their understanding, whether it was right or wrong)."
Rani went on to explain what she believes the makers may have been thinking at the time. “But wo apne hisaab se soch rahe the ki shayad Rani ki awaaz achi nahi hain, shayad audience pasand nahi karegi toh hum iss bacchi ko protect karte hain, inki awaaz hi dub kar dete hain (They may have thought that perhaps Rani’s voice was not good enough, or that the audience might not like it, so let us protect this girl and dub her voice)."
She was clear that she never attributed the decision to malice, saying, “Ye shayad unka soch hoga ki main kabhi ye nahi sochti hoon ke unhone kuch ulterior motive rakh ke unhone kaha hoga ki iski dub karo ya isey torture karne ke liye ke iski awaaz dub karo (This may have been their thought process, and I never felt that they had any ulterior motive or that they asked for my voice to be dubbed to torture me)."
According to Rani, she respects the fact that creative choices often come from personal belief rather than intent to harm. “I think genuinely unko aisa laga hoga aur har insaan ko haq hai ki unko kya feel ho kisi cheez ke prati (I genuinely think they felt that way, and every person has the right to feel what they feel about something)."
She then recalled how things shifted with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, directed by Karan Johar, who was making his debut at the time. Rani revealed that even then, there was pressure on the director to have her voice dubbed, but he chose to stand by her. “But mera saubhagya ye hain ke Karan [Johar] jo first-time director the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai mein, unko bhi pressure aaya tha ki Rani ki voice dubbing karao, lekin wo apne decision mein datey rahe ki ‘Rani, mujhe apki awaaz pasand hain. Aap hi meri film dub karogi’ (But I was fortunate that Karan Johar, who was a first-time director on Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, also faced pressure to dub my voice, yet he stood by his decision and said, ‘Rani, I like your voice. You will dub my film yourself')."
Expressing her gratitude, Rani said that decision had a lasting impact not just on her career but on industry practices as well. “Main Karan se hamesha iss baat se shukra-guzaar rahungi ki unke wajah se, wo jo ek trend chalu rehta hain na film mein, kyuki agar ek badi film mein aisa kuch ho gaya, toh ripple effect hota hain (I will always be grateful to Karan for this, because when something happens in a big film, it often creates a ripple effect across the industry)."
That moment, she said, allowed her to keep something deeply personal. “So I was able to retain my voice. Aur main hamesha kehti hoon ki hamari jo awaaz hoti hain, wo hamari pehchaan hoti hain. Toh main apni pehchaan rakh paayi. It was a blessing (So I was able to retain my voice. I always say that our voice is our identity, and I was able to keep my identity. It was a blessing)."
Rani Mukerji's Mardaani 3 releases on January 30.
Also read: Mardaani 3 star Rani Mukerji's daughter Adira writes handwritten letter, says they look alike
