Rani Mukerji on life and success

Just married and with a new film set to hit theatres, life is coming up roses for Rani Mukerji.

Everybody knows Rani Mukerji. Most definitely at Yash Raj Studios in Andheri, Mumbai, where nobody walks by without greeting her with a 'Hello, How are you?' or a wide smile. She is after all the wife of its big boss, the littleseen writer-director-producer Aditya Chopra. Actor Ayushmann Khurrana runs into her at the stairs and his head almost bows as he congratulates her on the Mardaani trailer.

Composer Anu Malik comes over to the cafe to rave about the last shot in the trailer, in which Mukerji slaps a man, rather emphatically. Dressed in an all-black ensemble on a grey day in Mumbai, Mukerji is under the weather. She is suffering from viral fever. But the media believes she is pregnant. A press release denying the rumour immediately follows but Mukerji couldn't care less. She credits the constantly speculating media in making her and Chopra realise that they could be a couple. "It's strange that the thought genuinely never crossed our mind until people started putting two and two together," she says.

"It's interesting that they insinuated that we were getting married. Now they should insinuate (further) so that my baby could also happen. It will be great. I'm waiting." Mukerji, 36, is already a Bollywood veteran with 19 years of work experience in the film industry under her belt. Her oeuvre includes a diverse range of films such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Saathiya, Yuva, Hum Tum, Veer-Zaara, Black, No One Killed Jessica and Talaash in which she made an impact with assured performances. Even when a film such as Aiyyaa (2012) didn't work at the box office, it was hard to doubt the conviction with which Mukerji portrayed the spirited Meenaxi, a Maharashtrian woman who is drawn to a man (Prithviraj) because he smells great.

Through her expressive eyes and face, Mukerji beautifully demonstrated a woman's sexual desire. "Aiyyaa had a dreamlike quality," she says. "But many people thought it was quite bizarre that a girl could fall in love simply with the way a man smelt." Although Aiyyaa failed to wow audiences with its high quirkiness quotient and an uninhibited female protagonist, but that didn't deter Mukerji from taking on projects which are off the beaten path. "As an artist I can't always do or get attracted to only popular cinema," she says. "I am proud of all the roles I have done.

Whether the films have worked or not, I take full responsibility. When you enjoy the success, I think we should also stand by the failures." Some of the people she counts on when the going gets tough are friends such as choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant, designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee and writer Jaideep Sahni. Apart from being her favourite designer, Mukerji calls Sabyasachi her 'brother'. The two instantly connected on their first meeting at the Lakme Fashion Week in 2003. In an email interview, Sabyasachi talking about how they are similar and their friendship, said, "The one thing that we have in common, that probably the world does not know, is that we are straightforward people. We are ambitious, driven and hardworking but have extremely strong principles. Neither of us will stoop to conquer. Rani is extremely loyal, possessive and giving. She is also fiercely protective and rather unconditional about her love."

It was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black, a high point in both their careers, which strengthened their bond. Says Sabyasachi, "I used to set an alarm for 3a.m. every morning to go wake up Rani for a 4.30a.m. call time. It was really cold in the dead of the night and we were beyond exhausted but every time I reached her room, she was almost ready. I learned a lot about professionalism and dignity of labour from her. She taught me a valuable survival lesson: when you are at the top, you have to work harder to stay there." Few can argue that Mukerji is adept at her craft and one of its leading practitioners. In Mardaani, she essays the role of a cop for the first time in her career. It is also her most action-packed role to date, which saw her work out with trainer Samir Jaura (of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag fame) for up to four months. Apart from a meeting with Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad Chief Himanshu Roy, Mukerji also met female cops to prepare for the part. Talking about her experience, Mukerji said: "There's no gender factor [in the police force].

She has the same hours of duty. She could be married and have children but she does the same things [as a male cop does]. I hope people are inspired to become a police officer [after watching Mardaani]." The film also enables Rani to highlight her credentials as the queen of drama and continue her streak of portraying powerful female characters. "I think it is important for me to do roles that I believe in," says Rani. The film is her second collaboration with director Pradeep Sarkar with whom she worked on Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, which was also produced by her husband, Aditya Chopra. Mukherji hit the news when she tied the knot with Chopra in a quiet affair in Italy in April this year after dating for four years.

As an actress, Mukerji knows she can't evade the spotlight, but in Chopra she has a very private husband who doesn't give interviews and has been successful so far in avoiding the media. But Mukerji says that this doesn't imply Chopra is anti-social. "People see him in a one-dimensional way because they don't know him," she says of her husband. "He doesn't have to be seen at film parties or awards to be seen as social." For the media, Chopra may be a recluse but for Mukerji he has opened up the world for her. "For me, my life was work and then back home," she says. "With him I have ventured out and travelled a lot. He has introduced me to all the gastronomic delights of the world." Ask her about how they complement each other, she says, "I think I probably bring a lot of life into his life, a lot of entertainment while he brings a lot of calmness and wisdom in mine. And a lot of love." Offering more insight about Chopra, she says that he is consumed by his work. "What he does in terms of making films, which people feel is entertainment," she says, "is work for him." Interestingly, Mukerji has never been directed by her husband; Rani made a special appearance in a song in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi