Photo: Agencies

When the story of Mardaani was first narrated to Rani Mukerji, she started crying. She felt empowered from within just listening to the journey of the protagonist. This is one film in which Rani has been involved right from the beginning. She trained in the self-defense system called Krav Maga and martial arts for over a year to get into the skin of this character. After being in the industry for over 15 years and with around 50 films to her credit so far, Rani has established herself as the queen of hearts in Bollywood. From Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat to Black and now Mardaani, Rani has always been the talking point of her films and has never shied away from challenging roles. She will be seen kicking, slapping and punching criminals as a police officer in Mardaani that releases in the UAE this weekend. In the movie Rani plays a tough cop handling a sensitive case on girl trafficking in India. She personally feels self defense should be made compulsory in schools. The actress spoke to City Times about the anger that simmers inside her, her new life after her fairytale wedding in Italy as well as some kitchen tales.

Mardaani is about the pressing issues faced by women in India today. When you signed up for the film, did you think of the relevance of the theme in today’s times?

This is a very relevant film for today. This is a film that is going to bring out the ‘Mardaani’ in women; this will motivate them to bring out the power in them. A lot of time has been spent debating and questioning; waiting for laws to change; waiting for people’s attitudes to change towards you. The time has come for women to take the fight for self-respect back into their own hands. We need to start speaking up because most girls don’t even speak up. They have been told to shut up all the time. Now is the time to speak up, now is the time to take action and now is the time to inculcate in our young girls the art of self defense, empower them in a way that when they turn 19 they are very confident to walk in any locality with their heads held high and they will be able to tackle any adverse situation that comes their way. Only then I feel the world or probably India will get empowered, when all woman take up issues and make a movement out of it. There is anger within all of us, simmering from within. There is an anger that we talk about; the anger, which is not only in a girl, it is there in a lot of men as well. This film is a collective effort of our producer, director and writers who are males. There are lots of men who have anger simmering inside them in the context of the society. They are also wondering who are these men who are committing all these atrocities. This is the kind of film that will make both men and women think about what is happening. Every parent of a girl child will immediately start taking action.

This is not a film for me but it is a movement to actually get the feeling of ‘Mardaani’ in every girl.

From the trailer we can make out that your character has a lot of simmering anger. What triggered that anger in you?

I think this trigger point has been there right from the beginning in my life. If any boy has tried to misbehave with me I have slapped the boy right then and taught him a lesson. So for me the trigger point has also been the horrific events that I get to hear of everyday. You must have heard about this girl in the North East whose head got blown off, you must have heard about the Nirbhaya case, you must have heard about numerous gang rapes that happen everyday in our country and around the world. That makes me wonder as a girl what must be going through that girl’s mind and we as women can only discuss and feel bad about it. Through this film I have treated every scene with a lot of anger. Every day I have remembered the incidents that have happened and that has given me the courage and the inner strength to play this role.

Did you undergo a lot of physical training for this film?

I did a lot of weight training for a year. I also trained in Krav Maga, which is a self-defense format.

What was your reaction when you first heard the story of this film?

I started crying because I really felt empowered as a girl. When I read about this girl Shivani Shivaji Roy, she epitomises the spirit of Mardaani. She is the ‘Mardaani’ of today’s time. ‘Mardaani’ that was the Rani of Jhansi. Today there are a lot of ‘Mardaanis’ in the form of cops in our country. They are doing exactly the same work that the male cops do but nobody speaks about them. I would say that they are all our ‘Mardaanis’. This film is a tribute to all of them.

There are some women who find the use of the word ‘Mardaani’ while referring to a woman offensive...

For all the girls who have a problem with the word, I would like to clarify that ‘Mardaani’ does not mean ‘like a man’. It means bold, independent, fearless and brave. These qualities can be in a man as well as a woman. You know, the females who have a problem with the word ‘Mardaani’ think that every man is powerful. But every man is not powerful; it is the quality that makes a man or a woman strong. The word ‘Mardaani’ was coined for Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi who was a warrior, who fought during an era (1800) when it was shocking for any girl to be on the battlefield. She shows the ‘Mardaani’ in her, bravely, independently and fearlessly and that is what we are trying to portray in the film. That all the brave girls in our country are ‘Mardaani’. All the cops in our country are ‘Mardaani’ because they are brave, fearless and bold. We say, ‘Mother Teresa is my hero’; why don’t we say ‘Mother Teresa is my heroine’?. When you make a statement like that we never talk about the gender factor because ‘hero’ is synonymous for somebody we look up to. In a similar fashion, ‘Mardaani’ does not mean ‘man like’ or masculine. It means you are brave and powerful. It is my dream that with this film every woman brings out the powerful side of her because gone are the days of gender discussion. Now is the time to be bold, brave and speak up.

You have managed to make every character seem real and believable. How do you approach your roles?

I think it is very important that in each film you do not get to see Rani Mukerji; I should become the character, because if the audience does not connect with the character, the film will not work. You have to feel for the characters and believe in them or you will not be able to take the story forward. I change my look, dressing, attitude with each film. Only when I look different will I be able to convince the audience that this is not me, but the character.

‘I am looking forward to my honeymoon’ Rani Mukerji recently had a fairytale wedding in Italy with the reclusive producer of Yashraj films, Aditya Chopra. She has spoken about how it is not easy for a thirty-something woman to marry in today’s times and adjust to a new life. “For me running a house is a whole new experience because my mother used to run the house. Now I am getting to know the different vegetables that are available in the market! Actually the only time in my life I have gone through a question mark, is answering the questions of my chef. When he asks me what he should make today: Ladyfinger, eggplant, cabbage? I always have to pause. Honestly speaking, after the movie releases, I am looking forward to my honeymoon because I have not had one. So I am waiting to go on my honeymoon.”