All the KHANS LOVE me- Rani Mukherji

With a clutch of heroine dominated films releasing back to back, one would expect Rani Mukerji to be a tad nervous about her own entrant - Aiyyaa - which will see her return to the screen after a gap of one and half years. But when TOI caught up with her at a suburban five-star, Rani seemed characteristically buoyant, even suggesting that we sit by the poolside, because it was "romantic."

Aiyyaa hits theatres on October 12 after which,Talaash, co-starring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor releases on November 30. And the petite actress says she is happy playing two very different and interesting characters.



In the Anurag Kashyap written film, directed by Sachin Kundalkar, Rani plays Meenakshi, a spunky Maharashtrian girl who is ready to get married at her family's bidding but dreams about a fantasy world all her own. In Talaash, she plays a gritty, fiercely guarded character, where we'll see her "smile only once." And while she admits she did not expect Talaash to get so delayed, she tells us why she took up Aiyyaa: "I hadn't played a Maharashtrian earlier. Moreover, the role of Meenakshi was superbly exciting as she is mad and passionate, somewhat like me (laughs). The script was so refreshing that I just gave my go ahead." Rani goes to admit that even though she admires Anurag's work, she could never see herself being a part of his 'niche cinema.' In fact, when Anurag Kashyap narrated the story to her, Rani had quipped, "I won't come into your (dark) zone. This time, you have to come into mine (popular cinema)." The actor was so convinced about her role that she immediately green lighted Sachin Kundalkar, the two-time National Award winning filmmaker, who makes his Hindi debut with this film. "Sachin was the right person to do justice to this film. He knew the finer nuances and helped me better myself as Meenakshi," Rani says.

Aiyyaa comes at a time when when most of her peers and the younger actors are vying to work with the Khan trinity and be a part of the Rs 100-crore club. But Rani seems unfazed by it all, and insists she enjoys wonderful rapport with all the Khans. "I have no issues with any of them. In fact, both Shah Rukh and Aamir have taught me a lot. Shah Rukh has always been very supportive as a co-star and that helps you to do better. Aamir has been very much like a teacher to me in my career. In the initial years when I had joined the industry, he literally held my hand and taught me the ropes of acting. And even when I worked with him in Talaash, I still felt I've so much to learn from him and I am still a student. Salman is a good friend too. Because of all this, the bond I share with them is very different from that with the others. And I know all the Khans love me!" with a flash of her famous pearlies.

Rani says she wants to be eclectic in her choice of projects. And in a veiled message to the younger lot now hot at her heels, she says, "The one person whom I would like to be is Meryl Streep. Even at her age, she sits alongside the younger heroines at the Oscars with her name in the nominee list, and others around her wonder whether they still stand a chance."

Hope the Parineetis and the Deepikas are reading this.