Rani Mukerji, on her 40th birthday, shared a heartfelt letter reflecting on her journey in Bollywood. Her film Hichki is slated to release this Friday.
Rani plays the character of Naina Mathur – a teacher with Tourette’s Syndrome, who is tasked to teach 14 children who hail from the slums studying in an elite school under the Right to Education Act.
To the uninitiated, her condition appears funny and strange. But, as she explains, it’s as though a wire in her prompts these repetitive movements. “It’s a neurological condition. Sometimes when the wire in our brain have a loose connection, they give a shock.” She even says that she was born to be a teacher, when someone suggests that she should try another profession.
Directed by Siddharth P Malhotra and produced by Maneesh Sharma.
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She writes: “As a woman, I must admit, it has not been an easy journey. I had to prove myself everyday. Actresses have to prove themselves everyday. A woman has a short career span, a married woman’s equity dies, women are not bankable commodities at the box office, ‘female-centric’ (I hate this word!) films are huge risks, a married actress who is also a mother is the final nail in the coffin of her dreams, ambitions and aspirations – these are some of the discriminatory stereotypes that we have to live with and try to overcome every single day.”
Read the full letter:
