During a heartfelt conversation with Karan Johar marking 30 years of Rani Mukerji in cinema, the actor got visibly emotional as she looked back at a defining moment in her early career, when Karan not only accepted her voice but firmly told her to dub for his film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
Revisiting the early days of her journey, Rani recalled how, as a newcomer, she had little agency over creative decisions. While working on Ghulam, her voice was dubbed, a choice she admitted was upsetting but unavoidable at the time. "I think as a newcomer, you don't really have a choice," Rani said, explaining how landing a film opposite Aamir Khan itself felt like a massive achievement then. She shared that Aamir later explained the decision to her, telling her that sometimes actors have to "surrender to whatever is best for the film."
Though she accepted the logic, Rani admitted it wasn't easy. "It was a little upsetting for me," she said, adding that she chose not to show her disappointment. "You need to be a team player whenever you're part of a film. Even if there are personal disappointments, it doesn't matter as long as the intent is true for the film."
What followed, however, became a turning point in her career, one she credits to Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra. Rani recalled shooting a teaser, a rare concept at the time, for what would later become Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The shoot involved a simple blue screen setup, long before the era of advanced VFX, with Rani delivering a single line while holding baby Anjali.
It was during this shoot that Karan approached her and asked, "Are people dubbing your voice in Ghulam?" When Rani said yes, Karan followed it up with a question that stayed with her forever. "Do you have a problem with dubbing your voice?" she remembered him asking. When she replied that she didn't, Karan told her, "I love your voice. You will dub for my film."
"That moment changed everything for me," Rani said, her voice breaking as she addressed Karan directly. "Thanks to you, Karan, I was able to retain my voice."
Today, Rani Mukerji's husky, unmistakable voice is considered one of the most powerful elements of her screen presence. As she acknowledged during the conversation, it is now impossible to imagine her performances without it.
"Everyone knows that Rani Mukerji's distinct voice is such a big part of my performances," she said, reflecting on a journey where belief, timing and one crucial vote of confidence helped shape a cinematic legacy.
