50,000 watch 'Chalte, Chalte' on Casablanca beach

Mumbai, Aug 4 (IANS) For Rani Mukherjee it was an affair to remember. A retrospective of four of her best films at the Casablanca Film Festival at Morocco and answering queries of curious moviegoers left her feeling overwhelmed.

"Fifty thousand people on the beach watching 'Chalte Chalte' with me, then asking me questions about the songs and dances, the idiom and language of expression...I don't think I'll forget my experience in Casablanca."

Rani Mukherjee flew into the Mediterranean scenic sea city on July 21 for a retrospective of "Veer-ZAara", "Chalte Chalte", "Saathiya" and "Black" with Arabic subtitles.

Apparently the directorate felt Rani represented the face of the new Bollywood more than any other actress.

"At first it felt strange. Why me? I was surprised and baffled. But then the honour began to sink in and I felt good. 'Yeah Rani, you've done something to deserve this,' I told myself. It was a very good morale booster."

Taking time off from her busy schedule Rani flew off to Morocco. "It was an experience I'll never forget...not only because it was my first retrospective at any festival, but also because of the interaction that I had to undergo with the audience after my film was screened. A lot of them were cinema students and their curiosity about our films and culture and their insightful questions made me very proud to represent our country and cinema."

Somewhere within her, Rani's growing stature as an actor from India, especially after "Black", has begun to sink in.

"Actually 'Black' was supposed to be the first film to be screened at Casablanca, and the one that I was supposed to attend. But for some reason the print was delayed. So it was 'Chalte Chalte' which got screened first. But the audiences were most curious about 'Black'. They saw it as representative of progressive Indian cinema.

"They wanted to know why films like 'Black' and 'Sarkar' were becoming popular without songs. It was fascinating to see how popular and powerful Hindi films are in Morocco. In fact I was dismayed to know that 'Black' wasn't released over there. It must! The people out there are dying to see it."

Did she get a chance to do any sightseeing in Morocco?

"I wish I did. There was no time. But the mayor of the city treated me like a queen, handed over the city's key to me...and they presented me with the most divine kaftan which I've ever seen or worn. All in all, it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life."

Back home Rani has started shooting for B.R. Chopra's "Baabul" with Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini (who plays her in-laws), Salman Khan and John Abraham (who play her first and second husband, respectively).

"It's a very powerful subject...takes up the theme between the widowed Jaya Bhaduri and her father-in-law Sanjeev Kumar in 'Sholay'. More than mine it's Amit Uncle's story."

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