March 24, 2017
Actress Rani Mukerji is overwhelmed with the response she has got for
her comeback film "Hichki" and says that the kind of love audiences have
showered on the movie proves that good cinema and performance is the only thing
that matters and not marital status or parenthood.
"Hichki" marks Rani's
comeback to acting after a gap of four years. The film raked in Rs 3.30 crore on
day one, a statement said.
Ecstatic over the response, Rani said: "All my
life, I have tried to entertain, tried to spread love and happiness to my fans
and audiences through my films. Their happiness made me happy, motivated me.
Yesterday, I felt the same emotions that I had faced when my first film
released.
"I was nervous. I was jittery. My first love is acting. Nothing
gives me as much joy than being on the set of my film. I chose marriage when I
wanted to."
The actress, who has a daughter Adira, 2, says she chose
motherhood and "I chose to prioritise these for four years before I again chose
to return to my passion wanting to feel the rush of challenging myself with a
truly remarkable role."
On the first day of the film's release, Rani felt
like it was a "do or die test".
"I did draw courage from the success
stories of the outstanding artists who decided to settle down and then returned
with great comebacks but deep down I was nervous that if I fail, I would be
forever succumbing to the archaic stereotypes to the same hichkis that have been
prevalent for so many years" she said.
"With the incredible love that
audiences have showered on 'Hichki' and on me, they have proven that for them
good cinema and good performance is the only thing that matters - not marital
status, not parenthood," added an emotional Rani.
The actress, 40, says
that the audiences have celebrated working mothers and that she will be forever
thankful to them.
In "Hichki", Rani plays the character of Naina Mathur
who suffers from Tourette syndrome that forces an individual to make involuntary
repetitive movements or sounds.
The Siddharth P. Malhotra directorial
focuses on turning disadvantages into opportunities and staring down at
challenges that life throws at one and ultimately winning over them.
"This box office validation gives me incredible confidence to continue my
journey as a working mother who can aim to balance her professional and personal
life to a T," Rani concluded.