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Mumbai
March 19, 2018
In a pair of ripped denims, a tucked-in bright round neck t-shirt, hair tied
in a simple and neat ponytail and a pair of white sneakers, Rani Mukerji looks
far from turning 40.
As she enters a new decade of life on Wednesday, the actress, who is coming back
to the big screen after a hiatus of four years with "Hichki", says she hopes to
do more movies and wants to cherish the foundation years of her two-year-old
daughter Adira with husband and filmmaker Aditya Chopra.
"I want to treat my 40 as my 20. And I want to do a lot of work... More and more
movies. I want to enjoy bringing up Adira. It is going to be the most important
years of her life, so I think it's going to be a really really nice decade,"
Rani told IANS while she was here to promote "Hichki".
The movie, directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra, is about Naina Mathur, who has a
nervous system disorder, Tourette Syndrome, that forces an individual to make
involuntary repetitive movements or sounds. The film's narrative focuses on
turning disadvantages into opportunities.
In a way, it takes forward Rani's knack for taking up roles which let the story
take forefront over her stardom.
"Because for me, the story is that connect... Stories that are human, which have
a strong emotional connect or the stories that connect with me or resonate with
me as a person. I give more precedence to that.
"For me, it is important that the audience connects with the story or storyline,
and when they connect with it, they connect with me and the character as well,"
she said.
In the past decade, Rani's filmography is mostly laced by projects like "Dil
Bole Hadippa!", "No One Killed Jessica", "Aiyyaa" and "Mardaani", where the
woman carries the most weight of the film on her shoulders -- a rare but
gradually visible shift in Indian cinema.
Does she find it empowering?
"It's scary," she said, laughing, and then explained: "Because you have the
whole film on your shoulders and it's quite a heavyweight... But empowering,
yes, as for me, it's not important about the gender issues here that it's a male
protagonist or female protagonist. I think it's about the story. It's about how
well can you carry forward the story, how well you are able to carry the story
on your shoulders.
"That's what is more important. Whether a male protagonist plays the role or I
am playing my role as a female, it's secondary."
The fact that "Hichki" is actually based on the true story of a man named Brad
Cohen -- an American motivational speaker and educator -- proves Rani's point.
She hopes the movie resonates with the audience.
"Please pray 'Hichki' is a hit because only that will give me more incentive and
empowerment to probably come back and do more films," said the actress, who felt
"great" about facing the camera after taking a break for marriage and
motherhood.
Now she wants to face the camera more often.
"I was so consumed with motherhood that I thought I might just say 'Hichki' and
that's it. But I think I was born to be an actor and it is just something I love
doing."
Rani started her Bollywood career in 1997 with "Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat". She then
did a mix of emotional, comedy and romantic films, but those which stood out
include "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai", "Hadh Kar Di Aapne", "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie
Gham...", "Saathiya", "Chalte Chalte", "Yuva", "Hum Tum", "Black", "Bunty Aur
Babli", "Paheli" and "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna".
Is there a sense of change in the kind of scripts she wants to pursue now?
"Not really, because I have always looked for special roles and special scripts
that bring a change in my life emotionally. It will continue to be so because I
have always connected to stories which have a deep and strong emotional connect
and I think I will always be connected to those kind of scripts."
Rani said she is still not comfortable about her daughter Adira being away from
her.
"But I guess I have to do what I have to do. But I am looking forward to spend
time with her after all this settles down."
As a family, it's quite interesting how they manage to be reclusive about their
lives at a time when celebrities' lives are all out there for all to see and
know about.
"I think it's very simple. It's the way you want to lead your life and you have
to be comfortable with that. You cannot waiver both ways. If it's a no, it's a
no," Rani explained.
So, it's a No?
"Yeah," she set the record straight.
By Radhika Bhirani