Rani Mukerji's comic capers

Rani Mukerji is quite the comedienne in real life. And that rubs off on her professional life as well. “For me, essaying characters that have a comic touch is an extension of my personal life,” she says. “The truth is I love comedies and working in comic capers and doing comic roles as well.”

You can actually call me the comedienne of Bunty Aur Babli 2, she says, referring to her role as a con artiste in the movie in which she co-stars with Saif Ali Khan, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Sharvari. “Few actors have great comic timing, like Saif does,” she adds.

For Rani to enjoy comedy, it has to be clean, she says. “Humour isn’t humour when you use it to put someone down. It has to be clean, situational and funny. I loved what Krushna Abhishek did on the Kapil Sharma Show when I was there recently,” says the actress.

Rani also does serious roles with ease, such as her portrayal of police officer Shivani Shivaji Roy in the Mardaani series  — giving the word mardaani a lot of credence. “I think it was long overdue,” says Rani.

“The men have been hogging the limelight when it comes to the world of cops in Hindi movies. They are the ones moving things. But in reality, there are a lot of female officers who are hugely respected in the police academy and police circles. Because of films starring men as cops, you start to believe that cops need six-pack abs. The reality is that cops need to be intelligent and mentally strong. Often, women in the police force are given the responsibility of solving crimes. So the representation of a woman copy was needed," she shares.

So what does her daughter Adira think Rani is — comedian, con artiste or cop?
“Adira is aware that I am an actor. She was present at the shoot of my last two films Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway and Bunty Aur Babli 2,” says Rani, who generally prefers to keep her professional and personal lives separate.

And what does Adira want to be when she grows up? “Her wishes change constantly,” says the fond mother. “She wants to be a gardener one day, a fashion designer another day, a hairstylist, singer, an actor, and so on.”

Stressing how important the love off fans is to her, Rani says, “I have not been on social media at all, and it is the fans and their endless love that have kept me relevant as an actor for the last 25 years. Awards and rewards have not mattered, what matters is their love,” she adds.

“Fans often want stars to share not just things about their movies, but also moments from their personal lives. You know that I am married to a man (Aditya Chopra) who is so private that I can never show his personal life to the world. My fans may see this as being duplicitous as I am only talking about my work all the time. Hence, I don’t think I can be the best on social media because my life is not something that I am comfortable sharing with the world,” she explains.