IS ADITYA CHOPRA BEHIND RANI’S TV DEBUT?

Filmmaker shares good relationship with channel.

Rani Mukerji was the last name announced by Sony TV to be the judge in the current dance reality show, “Dance Premier League” (DPL).

Was it Aditya Chopra’s suggestion that got her the show?

Sony TV and Yash Raj Films (YRF) share a very good business relationship.

It seems that just two days before Sony made the announcement about Rani being part of the show, the channel signed an agreement with YRF for producing exclusive fiction and non-fiction content for the channel. So now, Aditya Chopra and his talented team at YRF will be working as producers to create exclusive content for Sony TV.

By the way the timing of both the agreements was quite interesting. YRF’s deal with Sony and Rani being part of DPL happened almost at the same time.

We speculate whether Rani came as a packaged deal for Sony as part of the agreement with YRF?

For the moment, while shooting for the second episode of DPL, Rani communicated with one of the participants using sign language that she had learnt five years ago for her movie “Black”, in which she played a deaf and mute character.

One of the contestants on the show, Vishal, who was considered one of the best, was unfortunately deaf. After his performance, when it was the judges’ turn to comment, all of them spoke but Vishal could not understand a word.

That’s when Rani conversed with him in sign language and even congratulated him for being different. While everyone danced on the sound, Vishal had danced guided by his instincts and that’s what impressed Rani.

RANI MUKERJI MAKES TV DEBUT

She will be called 'Queen of DPL' on the show

After a string of big ticket celebrities who have taken to reality shows on the small screen, it's now actress Rani Mukerji's turn. She is set to judge Sony TV's "Rin Dance Premier League" (DPL) along with actor Arshad Warsi and dance guru Shiamak Davar.

According to the channel, Rani will add to the scale, glamour and credibility of the show that premiered on Friday (Oct 9). She will be called "Queen of DPL" on the show and will decide the fortunes of the competing teams.

While Shiamak Davar will be evaluating performances and setting the difficulty level as the competition progresses as an 'umpire' on the show, Arshad will be a ‘guest judge' for the auditions.

The show will have teams from different zones from across the country as well as abroad competing with each other. It is expected to highlight India's rich and diverse culture as each regional team will bring its own unique flavour to the performances.

Every zone will comprise of eight dancers and will be guided by their coach. Choreographers like Pappu Malu, Nagendra Prasad, Uma-Gaiti, Harshall-Vitthal, Mini Johny and Howard Rosemeyer will be donning the role of mentors.

Popular TV celebrities Eijaz Khan and Sara Khan will host the weekend show.

Produced by Cineyug, the show has already been backed by actors like Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sohail Khan, Bipasha Basu and other celebrities like Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Sanjay Banger, Baichung Bhutia and rapper Hard Kaur.

RANI SPEAKS OUT

With a small frame and a million watt smile, Rani Mukherjee knows to charm her viewers in real as well as reel life.

Her recent release might not have rocked the box-office, but she comes up with that million watt smile of hers. It is easy to see that she is happy. Ask her about her failing act before her present release, and pat comes the reply, “We actors are like vagabonds. We accustom ourselves to the surroundings, and go so deep that we need time to come out. People feel it’s so simple to make a movie. I like giving my best to a movie I work in. I want my work to speak volumes, and for that I have to give my it my 100 per cent. That is why I was away from the scene.”

While others in the industry describe her as one of the most versatile actresses, Rani wants to surprise everyone every time. “I like giving my audience their paisa vasooli. I want to do an action film which will get my adrenaline high, do something I have never done before. I want to do a real Indian martial art film. We have a martial art culture down south and even Punjabi martial art is so interesting. Nobody ever shows that. There are some TV shows where they came with such fighting styles. They really intrigue me,” she says.

What makes her do soft romantic comedies in general? “I am a feel good movie freak. You’ll see me more in romantic comedies. But now, I want to push myself for more difficult roles. For instance, it was pretty challenging to play a boy. I went through rigorous training to get my act together. And the funniest part is none of the critics have spoken about it,” says she. In other words, she has a disappointment in her heart. But, that does not show.

I CAN'T AFFORD AN IPL TEAM: RANI MUKHERJI

So what are the Bollywood actress’s main concerns right now?

She took tips from Shah Rukh Khan to appreciate cricket for her role in Dil Bole Hadippa, but Rani Mukherji has no meaning of following her good friend's footsteps by bidding for an Indian Premier League (IPL) team.

"I can't afford it... I don't have so much money. There is no chance that I can buy an IPL team," Rani told IANS in an interview in New Delhi.

"Right now I don't even think that I can take up so much responsibility because everything of that sort means more responsibilities. I am quite happy doing what I am doing right now," she added.

IPL is quite popular among Bollywood stars - while Shah Rukh owns Kolkata Knight Riders along with Juhi Chawla, Preity Zinta has Kings XI Punjab and Shilpa Shetty bought stakes in Rajasthan Royals along with boyfriend Raj Kundra.

Salman Khan too is reportedly going to bid for a team this year.

Leave alone IPL, Rani says a big "no-no" to venturing into other facets of filmmaking, such as production or direction, like some of her superstar colleagues.

"Again with production comes a very big responsibility and so is with direction and I don't think I am ready for that as of now," she said.

What's on her mind right now is having a blast during Durga Puja.

"I am just hoping I can have a great time with my family and celebrate Durga Puja as I used to celebrate it as a kid. This time luckily I have kept no commitments during that time; so I am just hoping that this year I'll have a blast," Rani said.

Asked if she had any plans of visiting Kolkata for pandal hopping, the actress said: "I'll be in Mumbai... I always celebrate Durga Pujo in Mumbai only."

Unlike other A-list actresses, Rani is not brand conscious when it comes to her wardrobe. And she has no brand preferences either.

"There's nothing special...basically I love wearing good clothes. I walk into a shop and I buy anything I feel I'll look good in. In any case, having a toned body always feels great."

Her latest outing Dil Bole Hadippa! may have got mixed responses from both audiences and critics, but that has not deterred the actress's confidence.

"I have always done different things. I've done a Black that somebody would think twice before doing and now this. I take up challenging roles as that really excites me as an actor.

"For me it's very integral that I choose a character which is special for the audience as well as me," Rani said.