Rani Mukerji Gets Emotional as She Thanks Karan Johar for Retaining Her Voice After Ghulam Dub

Actor Rani Mukerji recently revisited a pivotal and emotional chapter from her early career while speaking with filmmaker Karan Johar during a conversation marking 30 years of her journey in cinema. The discussion shed light on how her now-iconic husky voice, considered one of her strongest screen assets today, was once sidelined—and how Johar played a key role in restoring it.

Looking back, Rani recalled her experience while working on the 1998 film Ghulam, in which she starred opposite Aamir Khan. As a newcomer at the time, she said she had very little say in creative decisions. Her voice in the film was dubbed, a move she admitted was deeply upsetting but something she felt powerless to challenge. According to Rani, simply being cast opposite a major star like Aamir Khan felt like a significant opportunity, leaving her with little room to object.

Rani shared that Aamir Khan later explained the decision to her, telling her that actors sometimes need to “surrender to whatever is best for the film.” While she understood the reasoning in hindsight, she acknowledged that the experience affected her confidence during the formative years of her career. She described it as a reminder of how vulnerable young actors, especially newcomers, can be within the industry.

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The conversation then turned to Karan Johar’s role in changing that narrative. Rani became visibly emotional as she recalled how Johar, while casting her in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, firmly told her that she would dub for herself. At a time when her voice was considered unconventional by industry standards, Johar’s decision marked a turning point in her career.

Rani said that Karan’s acceptance of her natural voice gave her a sense of validation and confidence she had not experienced before. She credited him with helping her embrace an element that would later become central to her screen presence and acting identity.

Today, Rani Mukerji’s distinctive voice is widely regarded as one of her defining traits, contributing significantly to her powerful performances. Reflecting on the journey, her story highlighted how moments of support and belief can profoundly shape an artist’s career in Bollywood.

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