‘Reclusive’ Rani reveals a new side

It isn’t just Aamir who the actress is best friends with. The other two from the Khan trio — Shah Rukh and Salman belong to her coterie of friends. While she termed Shah Rukh as an “inspiration”,Salman was tagged the “eternal rockstar” by her. “It is easier to be friends with your male co-stars because you are collaborating with them and not competing,” she said. The 33-year-old actress also reserved her praise for the younger breed of actors — Ranbir Kapoor,Imran Khan,Sonakshi Sinha,Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma.

Mukerji has an enviable body of work behind her — from Ghulam,Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to Black,Hum Tum and Saathiya. She is an actress loved by the masses. But she believes,it is her role in NOKJ that will open fresh doors in Hindi cinema. “Ten years ago,one couldn’t have imagined a girl abusing on screen. But times have changed now,” she said. According to her,even the audience expectation from the female lead has undergone a change — for better. “Audiences love to watch women in power. Nobody wants to see a bechari on screen.”

When asked if she was expecting awards for her NOKJ performance,she candidly responded. “In my heart,I feel I deserve it. But then,it is in the hands of the jury and audiences,” said the actress,who termed herself a “spontaneous” actor. She owed her success to her hard work and audience acceptance. “Every day of my life is a struggle to prove a point to my audiences and fans that I can live up to their expectations.”

This struggle is not all. Looking good on screen is as important as being a good actor. “When the audience look at you on screen,they want you to look good. That’s how we become pin-up stars. After that you need to take that interest to another level with your acting abilities,” she explained.

The constant media scrutiny does put the actress in a spot of bother. “You can’t even repeat your clothes because photographers are constantly following you wherever you go,” she said,imitating anchors on news channels. What really troubles the actor is speculation about her marriage. “Everyone has been at it for almost five years. Initially,I humoured it but later it started affecting my work because some people actually thought I was getting married and wouldn’t give me work,” she said. “A certain amount of gossip is fine,but one really needs to draw a line,or at least validate the gossip.”