Rani Mukerji says her soul is missing from Ghulam. Here’s why

Rani Mukerji has been busy prompting her film Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, which will be released in theatres on Friday. The actor, who grabbed attention with Ghulam, where she was paired opposite Aamir Khan, recalled being told that ‘for the betterment of the film’, her voice had been dubbed. The film was released in June 1998, months before her Karan Johar directorial Kuch Kuch Hota Hai co-starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol was released. Also read: Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway review

In a recent interview, Rani said that her ‘soul is not in Ghulam’ as she recalled feeling hurt, when questions were raised about her voice as ‘a leading lady opposite Aamir’. In an old interview Rani had also revealed that Aamir Khan had apologised to her for dubbing her voice in Ghulam after watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which was released in October 1998.

“As a newcomer, you don’t have much of a choice. Filmmakers take decisions for the betterment of their film. So yes, but just in Ghulam, my voice did get dubbed. During Ghulam, there was a question mark on my voice on whether it was good for a leading lady opposite Aamir. I was told that for the betterment of the film, my voice had been dubbed. It hurt me but I didn’t make a big deal of it. But I still feel that my soul is not in Ghulam,” Rani Mukerji told ETimes in a new interview.

She added, “Soon, I was there in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Karan Johar asked me if I had a problem in dubbing my voice. I said ‘no’. He asked me if my first film Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat had my own voice, and when I said yes, he said he likes my voice and wanted me to dub.”

In a 2018 interview, Rani had told Mid-Day, “I remember Aamir calling me after watching KKHH (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai), saying, ‘Babes I think we made a huge mistake by dubbing your voice. And your voice is really good.’ For me, that was a really amazing moment since I respect him so much. The fact that he called and said that they had made a mistake was a big thing for me as a newcomer.”

Rani made her acting debut with Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat in 1997. Her latest film Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway will be out on March 17. Directed by Ashima Chibber, Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway follows the life of an immigrant mother, who fights against all odds to win back the custody of her children. Neena Gupta, Jim Sarbh, and Anirban Bhattacharya also feature in the movie.