Journalism of Courage
As Veera Kaur a.k.a Veer Pratap Singh landed in Pune,it was without her trademark willow bat or her bright Patiala shalwars. Dressed in a simple black dress,with minimal make-up and straight hair,Rani was the epitome of calm and quite unlike her boisterous screen persona. It took me six months to learn to play cricket well enough to portray my role onscreen. When I started out,I did not even know the basics of the game. But at the end of shooting,I could play like a pro, says the vibrant Rani,surrounded by a posse of media persons at the newly-opened Fame Multiplex in Fatima Nagar.
I dressed in those bright outfits as Veera Kaur,since all Punjabi women are so full of life. And in this film,I got to play both a pretty girl and a young Sikh lad,all agog about playing cricket. I truly had the best of both worlds, says the 31-year-old actress,who looks not a year older than 25,in her new,chic avatar. When asked what was more challenging for her,playing a boy or a cricketer,in Dil Bole Hadippa,she says,Its amazing how nobody has homed onto the fact that Ive played cricket like a pro,in the film. I mean,critics are commenting on everything in the film,except my cricket. I guess it means that my cricket shots appear natural and effortless and I take that as a compliment.
Asserting that Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan have a special place in her life,the leading lady says she loves to romance SRK,Bobby Deol and Shahid Kapoor on screen. Bobby is a real darling and its great to work with him. Of course,Shahrukh and Aamir are my all-time favourite male co-stars too, adds the erstwhile queen of the marquee. I look for an emotional connect with the audience in all the films I do and want to keep re-inventing myself. Now,the one role Im really looking forward to is an action-oriented one. Ive done drama and romance and comedy,now,its time for some action! declares Rani.
