Rani gives life lessons in Hichki
Bollywood star Rani Mukerji tells tabloid! about playing a teacher with Tourette Syndrome who overcomes challenges in 'Hichki', out today. Plus, 10 things to know about the disorder
Indian actress Rani Mukerji, who has managed to stay relevant in the evertransient world of Bollywood with her sturdy body of work, is going to teach you a thing or two about standing your ground and chasing dreams in the face of adversity.
In Hichki, releasing today in the UAE, Mukerji plays Naina Mathur who lives with a nervous system disorder called Tourette Syndrome, which propels her to make involuntary grunting sounds and sudden movements.
In the trailers, it is clear that this young woman isn’t your conventional candidate for a teaching job, as her interviewer points out bluntly, but she is determined to break the resistance and subtle discrimination that she faces on an everyday basis due to her disorder.
It’s a tale of the triumph of human spirit, says Mukerji. “Hichki has the message of turning your weaknesses into strength and this movie can [make] a huge impact on our lives. We need stories like that to relate to and feel better in life. Hichki comes at a time when we really need an uplifting story, which makes us believe that
nothing is impossible and everything is achievable if we believe in ourselves and our goals,” said Mukerji in an interview with tabloid!.
The mother of a toddler, who was last seen in the 2014 thriller Mardaani as a fierce cop, claims she relied on her instincts to play Mathur and did not attend any acting workshops as is the norm among actors today.
The disparate group of students featured in the teacher-student drama, however, attended extensive workshops under the guidance of director Siddharth P Malhotra.
“The way that I approach a role is that I want to do it spontaneously. For me, it’s about feeling the character that I play rather than preparing it like an act... I want to play this role organically,” said Mukerji.
Her work philosophy seems to have worked wonders as the awardwinning actress has accumulated several trophies over the years with acclaimed films such as
Black, in which she played the deaf-blind Anglo Indian woman Michelle McNally, chronicling her turbulent relationship with her ageing mentor Debraj Sahai, played by Amitabh Bachchan.
Black scooped all the major awards after its release — including the Indian National Award for the Best Film — with the challenging role proving a learning ground of sorts that prepared Mukerji to act out Mathur’s lifeaffirming journey.
Hichki is based on the real life story of Brad Cohen, a teacher with Tourette Syndrome whose story was made into the 2018 film Front Of The Class. The Hindi version sees Mukerji take on the central role.
So, was it exhilarating knowing that the central role is now being played by a woman? “The story isn’t gender-specific,” said Mukerji.
Here are the excerpts from our interview with the actress.
“Playing a teacher comes with a lot of responsibilities as it’s one of the noblest of professions.” RANI MUKERJI | Actress
You have played a person with disabilities in Black; did that experience help you in Hichki?
I connect with the specially-abled people somewhere as I think