Rani Mukerji gets emotional as she recalls her voice getting dubbed in Ghulam: ‘I was upset…’

Rani Mukerji sat down with filmmaker and longtime friend Karan Johar for a chat on Thursday as she completed 30 years in the film industry. Rani spoke about her journey in films and at one point got emotional as she recalled that it was Karan who let her debut her own voice in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

Rani Mukerji gets emotional

Rani recalled how her voice was dubbed in Ghulam, which co-starred Aamir Khan. Back then, Rani revealed, Aamir had explained that her voice was ‘not apt’ for the film and someone else should dub it.

Rani admitted that the decision was ‘upsetting’ for her. She added, “I could not show the fact that I was upset because you need to be a team player when you are part of the film… Even if there are personal disappointments, it does not matter if the intent is true for the film.”

Rani Mukerji at the event Photograph: (X)

Rani Mukerji thanks Karan Johar

She grew emotional as she added, “I really owe this to Karan, when we were shooting for the trailer of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai… I remember you asked me whether I had dubbed my voice in my first film and if I had a problem with it, and I said no, I did dub my voice. You said, ‘I love your voice!’ and I still remember it. Thanks to you, Karan, that I could retain my voice.” Karan kissed Rani on her forehead as she got emotional and added Rani’s distinct voice is a big part of her legacy as an actor.

For the unversed, Rani featured in the 1998 film Ghulam opposite Aamir Khan. Her voice was dubbed by Mona Ghosh Shetty in the film, which was directed by Vikram Bhatt.

Eventually, Karan Johar used Rani's original voice in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which was released later the same year. The film was a huge box office success, and it helped the audience recognise Rani's real voice.