Rani wasn`t quite the queen of all she surveyed at the inaugural ceremony of the 33rd International Film Festival of India. After all, her presence at the function was no more than an afterthought. She opted to accompany best friend Aishwarya Rai when Devdas`s Paro was roped in to assist chief guest Lata Mangeshkar in lighting the inaugural lamp. Usually, only one lady stands by when the guest of honour sets the diya aflame.

While the organizers don`t have a clue as to why two, instead of the usual one female star, have been flown in from Mumbai to do the honors, a little birdie tells us that Rani had been lobbying for this role for long. But once Devdas made it big internationally, the Directorate of Film Festivals decided that Aishwarya would be the thali girl. When some reporters cornered Rani for an interview hours before the inauguration, she threw a fit. "Please ask me relevant questions," she thundered. "The DFF has asked me to field questions only about the festival."

Fair enough. But what does the diminutive Bengali actress know about the film festival? She won`t be staying for even one day to "catch up on some meaningful films, which I would love to do". "I have no time. I am shooting for Shahrukh Khan`s home production in Pune tomorrow," Rani reveals.