Actor Rani Mukerji, who is coming back to the big screen with Hichki after a long hiatus, says she doesn’t ask her husband and filmmaker Aditya Chopra to cast her in films.
“I don’t talk about work with Aditya. I don’t tell him to cast me in films, I can only tell him when do we make our next baby. My conversation with Adi is all about love and Adira. I can’t have a huge family as I think I have missed the bus. I should have started long time ago. But I can always try for a second child,” Rani said.
Rani, who has appeared in films like Black, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Mardaani and No One Killed Jessica, says she “never wanted to be an actor” in the first place.
“My mum wanted me to be an actor, I actually agreed to her wish. My father was very against my mum’s wish. He was not very keen that I join films because he has been in the industry for so long. He thought that I wasn’t too strong to go through the perils of cinema. I told my mum she should reconsider as I will make a fool of myself. But she wanted me to at least try. I did it and I realised that I wanted to do this. And then, there was no looking back,” said Rani.
On the issue of nepotism, the daughter of late filmmaker Ram Mukerji, said, “I wouldn’t say I had a soft landing. In the film industry, you get where you get because of your talent and merit. We have to sweat it out and work in all kinds of environment and wait for the audience to accept you or not accept you. You may be the brother, sister or daughter of a popular actor or director, and still not be accepted.”
She added, “When I got into films, my dad wasn’t a very successful producer or director. Nepotism debate is baseless. People have come from non-filmy background and made it big in Bollywood.”
On her next film Hichki, she said, “The two years’ break I took for my baby, I told my director I might not do it. I am too domesticated. He said if we work around the timing. I asked him I don’t know if I can act. When I went for the first day of the shoot for Hichki, I found it so easy. And (thought) I should never forget that this is who I am.”
