She smokes, abuses, and even shows her middle finger, actress Rani Mukherjee has done it all to play the role of a headstrong journalist in her upcoming movie No One Killed Jessica.
Although the scenes invite the Censor Board’s wrath, Rani loved her different avatar and says she adopted that attitude to portray the character. “Director Rajkumar Gupta wanted me to give the impression of a strong journalist and represent the media as it is. I’ve seen a few female reporters smoke. I am just playing you (addressing Delhi’s media) all,” said the actress when she was in the city for the promotion of the film. Getting into the skin of the character wasn’t difficult for Rani. “I have met many reporters and I didn’t have to meet anyone specific for my characterisation in the film,” she says.
Since Rani seems to have a set image of journalists, we ask youngsters if they too feel that the image of journalists has been stereotyped a la Rani’s portrayal. Says Anindya Dutta Gupta, a JNU student, “All my friends in the media tell me that journalists are alcoholics. But with reference to women smoking and drinking, I don’t think that is the image of female journalists. The general image of a woman journalist is someone smart, upright and independent. Yes, people with idiotic patriarchal mentalities associate women with smoking, drinking and infidelity. But I don’t.”
Sana Zafri, a mass communication student, thinks abuses in the film have been used to define attitude and not in a derogatory sense. “At times it’s necessary to use such symbols in order to portray a character. So, as far as it’s not defaming or insulting the profession of journalism, I don’t feel there’s any harm in playing such a role.”
But such portrayals annoy some people from the media. Says Sneha (name changed), a journalist, “I sincerely hope the audience doesn’t form opinions about us just by looking at Rani’s depiction of a journalist. We have been presented in varied ways in movies but these are just characters.”