You cannot run away from success and failure: Rani

It has been 22 years since she debuted in Bollywood. So, it goes without saying that Rani Mukerji has witnessed successes as well as setbacks from close quarters. But the actor knows how to “balance out” the two. “See, if you only get praised by everyone, you will start thinking that you are the king or queen of the world. The law of averages is that if you face failures on one hand, you will also taste successes. So, the fact is nobody can run away from these two aspects of one’s life,” says the actor.

Rani, whose last two bigscreen outings — Mardaani (2014) and Hichki (2018) — have won over the box office, feels “what’s most important is how you tackle your success and failure”. She explains: “That’s what defines you and, in fact, it has been key in my life.” Now, the actor is readying for her next outing, Mardaani 2. “People who love me, and have belief in my talent know that I’ll surprise them every time. The idea is to not bore them when they watch me on screen. So, with Mardaani 2, it’s a new challenge because I am playing the same character and this is my first experience with a franchise,” she says.

Her last film, Hichki impressed audiences not just in India but in other countries such as China, too. “When you go abroad and see a theatre full of local people — who have no connection with your language or culture — reacting to your film, it is an overwhelming experience. And that’s exactly what happened with me. Though I have been working for so many years, the experience in China was very special for me. I had heard of our films doing well in Germany etc., but I never witnessed that. When I see how Indian films are reaching different markets globally, I feel proud of the industry,” she says.