The Babli of Bollywood Rani Mukerji recalls her journey in the entertainment industry as she turns 40 today and says that it was not a smooth voyage as she had to prove herself every single day.
On the occasion of her birthday, Rani has penned down a letter and thanked all the filmmakers she worked within the past 22 years.
The actress wrote, "It feels great to be 40! It feels great to have also worked for 22 years and have been incredibly lucky to get so much love and appreciation. Very rarely do we artists get material that can genuinely cause social change, cause a change in attitude and thinking and I have been fortunate enough to get such content multiple times. I truly feel blessed. I thank all the film-makers who have trusted me with their characters. Your characters, your films, became my identity.
I realised very late that I was actually born to be an actor, that I was born to entertain. And I hope I have been able to do just that. As a woman, I must admit, it has not been an easy journey. I had to prove myself every day. Actresses have to prove themselves every day. 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.
For a woman, the disparity with a man is huge and glaring in this industry. We are judged for our looks, our dancing skills, our height, our voice, our acting, how we carry ourselves every time we step out of the house - we have to be the best and yet we are thought to be extremely dispensable. I have been asking my friends to talk about their weaknesses and how they overcame them. On my birthday, I cannot skirt these massive 'hichkis' that my fellow actresses and I have faced/face and will face every day.
I have tried to take on this sexist stereotype by coming back to acting after my marriage and motherhood. And I promise you, I will continue working and battling these stereotypes with all my fellow stunning, beautiful, kind and talented actresses and hope to see our society and the film industry mature further. I can already see the changes for the better and it feels me with joy. It makes my journey, my career meaningful. I want to see many more victories for all of us. It’s about time. I will be back soon- to try and entertain you, to push the envelope again. Till then, love you all.
Yours forever,
RANI
The actress kick-started her acting career in the year 1996 with Biyer Phool which was Bengali film. Her first Hindi movie was Raja Ki Aayegi Barat (1997) then after she was a part of some blockbuster movies like Ghulam (1998), Mann (1999), Hello Brother (1999), Hadh Kar Di Aapne (2000), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Nayak: The real hero (2001), Mughse Dosti Karoge (2002), Saathiya (2002), Black (2005), Paheli (2005), Dil Bole Haddippa (2009) and many more. Later in the year 2014, Rani Mukherjee got married to the ace producer Aditya Chopra. In the same year, Rani played a strong cop Shivani Shivaji Roy in Mardaani. Post-Mardaani the actress took a gap of four years for taking care of her adorable tiny tot Adira. At present, the actress is all geared up for her coming film Hichki which is releasing on March 23.
Happy Birthday, Rani!
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