The rupee fell by 17 paise to 53 rupees 27 paise per dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange today on increased demand for the US currency from importers.However, firm equity markets capped the rupee losses.The rupee had shed 3 paise to close at 53.10 rupees against the US dollar in the previous session. In 2011, the rupee crashed by 18.79 per cent.