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‘PASSÉ TO HIDE MOTHERHOOD, AGE’
Actor Rani Mukerji says female actors should also be able to maintain their ‘personal and professional lives parallelly’
The last time she had a tryst with the silver screen was back in 2014 with Mardaani. But clearly, even after a gap of almost four years, Rani Mukerji continues to have the same effect and a strong hold on audiences as her latest offering, Hichki, gets critical acclaim as well as box-office earnings. We catch up with the actor about the success of her latest film, female actors in Bollywood, life and more.
After achieving so much fame and success, does success taste as sweet as ever?
More than tasting sweet, I think it brings relief and happiness to all of us because all the things that we did went against set ‘norms’. There are always doubts in people’s hearts and minds about whether a married actress, who is also a mother now, will be accepted [by the moviegoers] or not. Plus, this is not a masala film. It’s a sweet story about education and has a message for the society. Every film-maker and actor works hard, but if audiences receive the film the way we perceive it, then it’s like sone pe suhaga (laughs).
You have a film release now after a considerable gap. So, is the response more gratifying?
Absolutely! Also, when a film like Hichki becomes successful, it’s like the audience telling us, ‘we don’t care about your marital status, personal life or if you have had a baby. We just want to see you back on screen’. For me, that’s a big assurance. I think that’s a big shift for all the women, who want to make or continue their career after motherhood. If an actress makes a comeback after motherhood or marriage, she is always questioned but a hero is never asked, ‘you are doing a film after marriage so what will happen to your brand equity?’ If a film can break that barrier, I think it’s a great pathway for all the actresses, who want to maintain their personal lives parallel to their professional lives.
Do you think things are changing visàvis people’s mindsets?
When I go out and talk about my age or my er, I feel very proud. I was 16 when I joined the industry so I have literally grown up here. Today I am 40, and I have had my experiences over so many years. At the same time, it’s also a big achievement of my life that I have given birth to my child. I think it is very passé to try and hide your marriage, motherhood or even your age.
Be it Yuva (2004), Black (2005), No One Killed Jessica (2011) or your latest film, you have always had your share of contentdriven films. Does it make you proud?
Of course! When it comes to film-making, we are a reflection of society. Over the years, I have tried to portray the modern Indian woman in a way that anyone can relate to and draw inspiration from. Somewhere, all those characters have inspired and impacted me personally as well. It’s important that every film that I do, goes a bit beyond just providing entertainment, which makes me happy, and then I can do something purely entertaining and balance it out again by doing a content driven film.
Is the success of your new film even more special since it all happened in your birthday week?
All my life — especially as a student — I could never celebrate my birthday as it is on March 21, which is in the middle of the examination period. But yes, I do feel great that I got to celebrate my birthday with a successful film. My dad passed away recently, so I didn’t want to celebrate my birthday this year because I knew I will miss him. But I wish to tell my dad, ‘you aren’t here but I want to give you my film’. He is the only one [from family] who hasn’t seen it.