Bengali actress Churni Ganguly plays Alia Bhatt AKA Rani Chatterjee’s mother in ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’. The film has a strong Bengali element pitted against the Punjabis, the Randhawas. While the amalgamation will be interesting to watch, Bengalis are often boxed into stereotypes such as ‘aami to make bhalobashi’, ‘jol khaabe’, ‘roshogolla’, ‘mishti doi’, and others.
In an exclusive interaction with IndiaToday.in, Churni Ganguly shared with us if Karan Johar’s film has managed to stray from taboos. One particular scene that has come under scrutiny is when Ranveer Singh’s character, Rocky, mistakes a portrait of Rabindranath Tagore for Alia’s character, Rani Chatterji’s ‘dadaji’ (grandfather). Churni Ganguly defended the film’s depiction of Bengalis by stating that portraits of Tagore are commonly seen in many Bengali households, making the scene authentic and relatable.
Churni goes on to explain that in order to accurately represent a quintessentially Bengali family, certain elements need to be included. She believes that Ranveer’s character addressing Tagore as dadaji was a fitting choice. According to her, these elements are not stereotypes but rather essential components of Bengali culture. She also mentions that traditional attire like sarees is still prominent in Bengali weddings, unlike the trend of wearing lehengas.
The attention surrounding Alia Bhatt’s portrayal of a Bengali woman in the film has been immense. After the trailer was released, her character, Rani Chatterjee, was compared to other iconic Bengali characters depicted in Hindi films, such as Vidya Balan’s Parineeta, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s Paro in Devdas, and Deepika Padukone’s Piku Banerjee. Additionally, Alia’s fashion sense, particularly her sarees, heavy jhumkas (earrings), and black bindi drew comparisons to Deepika’s style in the film Piku. Some viewers even claimed Deepika’s accent.
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