‘Alia Bhatt Did Justice to Rani’: Husne Shabnam on Coaching the Actor for Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani

Alia Bhatt’s performance as Rani Chatterjee in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani required more than acting and costume preparation. The actor also worked on her Bengali dialect, with actress Husne Shabnam serving as her dialect coach for the 2023 Karan Johar directorial.

In a recent conversation with Zoom, Husne Shabnam recalled her experience of working with Alia and said she was impressed by the actor’s approach to learning the dialect.

According to Husne, Alia took the preparation seriously and understood that Rani’s Bengali speech had to reflect the character’s background rather than simply reproduce a generic Bengali accent.

Husne Shabnam recalls coaching Alia Bhatt for RARKPK

Husne said she was “genuinely thrilled” when she learned that she would be working with Alia on the Bengali dialect for Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.

As a dialect coach, she observed the actor during the preparation process and said Alia approached the work with sincerity.

“As her dialect coach, I saw how sincerely she approached the process, and I do feel she did justice to Rani.”

Husne explained that dialect is closely connected to a character’s geography, upbringing and family environment. Therefore, she said, Rani’s speech needed to be understood in the context of the character created for the film.

Why Alia Bhatt’s Bengali dialect was different

In Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, Alia plays Rani Chatterjee, a woman from Delhi who belongs to a Bengali family.

Husne pointed out that Rani’s linguistic background was different from that of someone who had spent their entire childhood in Bengal speaking Bengali at home every day.

Because of that character background, Husne said Rani’s Bengali would naturally have its own characteristics.

She explained that this context formed part of the character brief and influenced the dialect work done for the film.

The coach also distinguished Alia’s preparation from the work involved with veteran actor Shabana Azmi, who played Rani’s grandmother-in-law, Jamini Chatterjee.

According to Husne, the dialect requirements for the two characters were different because their respective backgrounds and roles within the story were different.

‘There’s always room to refine a dialect’

Husne acknowledged that dialect work can always be refined, particularly when an actor is portraying a character from a specific linguistic and cultural background.

However, she felt Alia’s performance worked within the context established for Rani.

“There’s always room to refine a dialect, but within the context of Rani’s character, I think Alia did a good job.”

Her comments highlight an important aspect of dialect coaching in cinema: an actor is not necessarily expected to reproduce the speech pattern of every native speaker from a particular region. The performance also has to remain consistent with the character’s fictional history.

Husne Shabnam wants to work with Alia as an actor

Husne also spoke positively about Alia beyond their professional interaction on Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.

She said she enjoys watching Alia’s performances and would like to see the actor take on a wider variety of characters.

Husne further expressed a personal interest in eventually sharing the screen with Alia as an actor herself.

She described the possibility of working with Alia in that capacity as a dream.

What is Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani about?

Released in 2023, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani was directed by Karan Johar and starred Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh in the lead roles.

The film follows Rocky Randhawa and Rani Chatterjee, two people from contrasting family backgrounds who decide to live with each other’s families before getting married.

The story uses their relationship to explore differences involving family traditions, language, food, culture and personal values.

Alia’s Bengali-speaking Rani was one of the central characters through whom the film explored those cultural contrasts.

Husne Shabnam’s recent work

Husne Shabnam has continued to work across film and streaming projects.

She was recently seen in Netflix’s Lust Stories 3, an anthology that features multiple stories centred on relationships and intimacy. Husne appeared as Mishty in Vishal Bhardwaj’s segment, alongside Siddhant Chaturvedi and Aditi Rao Hydari.

The anthology premiered on Netflix on September 18, according to the information provided for the interview.

Husne has also been associated with the series Tribhuvan Mishra: CA Topper.

What’s next for Alia Bhatt?

Alia Bhatt’s recent work includes Alpha, in which she stars alongside Sharvari.

She is also set to appear in Love & War, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The film features Alia alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal.

The project is scheduled for theatrical release on January 21, according to the release information provided.

Meanwhile, Husne Shabnam’s recollection of their work on Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani offers a behind-the-scenes look at the preparation that went into creating Rani’s Bengali speech and character identity.