Lord, save the queen

Lord, save the queen

She was touted as the undisputed queen of Bollywood. Powerhouse performances were expected from her as a matter of routine and most producers, directors would probably give an arm and a leg to work for her.

But that was ‘some’ time back. Today the crown on Rani Mukerji’s head appears to be a wee bit shaky.

Her last four films - ‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag’, ‘Tara Rum Pum’, ‘Baabul’ and ‘Mangal Pandey’- have been unqualified disasters. Her next release is ‘Saawariya’ where she hardly has a role and as of now, she has only one film in her hand. This is certainly not the Rani we knew.

“The problem is that she has done nothing wrong on the surface. Her choice of films have been good. She has worked with the best of banners, and directors, but somehow it hasn’t worked. She is one of the best actresses we have right now, but the fate of her last few films have definitely affected her status as the undisputed queen that she had gained after ‘Black’ and ‘Bunty Aur Babli’,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

The only film that Rani is doing now is Kunal Kohli’s next with Yashraj production which has Salman Khan in the lead. Amod Mehra, trade analyst, thinks it’s her loyalty to certain film-makers which has proved to be her nemesis. He says, “Rani has stopped signing outside her coterie of film makers. She is continuously doing films with her trusted directors like Karan Johar, Yash Chopra etc. Therefore, her growth has been stunted. If she had done films with younger film-makers, it would perhaps give her a better range….She is a great actor, with age on her side. It’s a pity that she doesn’t take risks and is not experimental enough. She is depending too much on her close friends.”

In her personal life too, Rani has become more of a recluse, hardly ever coming out in public eye or giving media interviews Stories of her temper tantrums on sets and her alleged affair with Yashraj head honcho Aditya Chopra are also doing the rounds.

But for those who have worked with her in the past, there is still no question of her number one status. “She is only going through a phase. Every actor has this, but that does not mean that she is sliding down. Rani is one of the best actresses we have. Even if her film has flopped, her performance cannot be faulted,” says film maker Ravi Chopra who made Baabul with Rani and Salman last year.

Well, for her sake and for the sake of scores of her fans, we certainly hope that this too will pass

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