Nepotism Not 'Relevant' In Alia Bhatt's Case, Says 'Rocky Aur Rani...' Actor Churni Ganguly | Exclusive

Over the years, actor Churni Ganguly has successfully carved a niche for herself and has emerged as one of the most critically acclaimed names in the Bengali film industry with many of her films winning big at the National Film Awards. Currently, she is gearing up for the release of filmmaker Karan Johar’s upcoming directorial outing, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. In an exclusive chat with News18, Ganguly says that she is overwhelmed with love that is coming her way for the film. “The response has been tremendous. People are waiting for it and it has been a long wait. I’m getting feedback from all over, especially after the release of the trailer. The premise of the story is so interesting. It promises to be a good entertainer,” she tells us.

One of the highlights for Ganguly remains working with Alia Bhatt, who plays her daughter in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. Often trolled for being a star-kid who was launched by Johar and had opportunities served to her on a silver platter, Ganguly feels that Bhatt has proved her mettle in a career spanning a decade. Lauding her for her talent and skills, she says, “Alia is one of those performers who’s extremely talented. People speak about nepotism. There’s so much being said. I think nepotism only becomes relevant if the actor isn’t up to the mark and lacks talent. But that’s not the case with Alia.”

Ganguly goes on to heap praises on her for her portrayal of Rani Chatterjee, the protagonist in the film that also stars Ranveer Singh, Jaya Bachchan, Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi. “She has proved so film after film. She gets into the skin of her roles just like that. She brings life to a role that she plays. She did the same even in this film. We improvised a lot in some of our scenes and a lot of that came from Alia as well,” states the actor, who is basking under the success of her last Bangla release, Ardhangini.

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The Shabdo (2012) and Drishtikone (2018) actor also compliments Azmi and says that ‘sharing screen space with her was actually like a dream come true’. “I’ve watched Shabana’s work ever since I watched Hindi films. Masoom was the first Hindi film I ever saw in my life. I’m one of those people who have always looked up to her and her work,” she shares.

But what Ganguly will always hold close to her is the camaraderie she developed with Azmi. “More importantly, we struck a very good relationship on the set. She took such good care of me when I was feeling low and made sure that I was always comfortable. These things also make a lot of difference. The human being behind the actor also adds to your experience of working with a person like her,” she remarks.

Quiz her about how she came to be a part of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and Ganguly recalls, “They reached out to me from Dharma (Productions). They wanted me to send them a live recording of myself and I wasn’t being able to do it because I was shifting houses at that time. I, actually, delayed the process for quite a bit. They kept calling me and told me, ‘Send anything that you can but send something.’”

Gangualy further continues, “They sent me a look reference and incidentally, the picture that they sent me was mine. I realised that they were probably looking for me and I sent them the recording anyway. They reached out to me the same day itself in the evening asking me to block my dates and meet Karan. When I met him, he told me that he had me from the word ‘hello’.”

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is all set to hit the theatres on July 28.