“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”, said Rani in the answer to the question of casting her in any of her husband’s projects.
The nature of Mukerji’s relationship with filmmaker Aditya Chopra was the topic of fervent tabloid reporting in India, though she refused to publicly talk about it. On 21 April 2014, she married Chopra at a private ceremony in Italy. On 9 December 2015, she gave birth to their daughter, named Adira.
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. In 2013, the American Embassy in India honoured her with a special trophy for her contributions to Indian cinema. In October 2017, Mukerji was honoured with the “Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award” by the Government of Mauritius.
“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.” Rani Mukerji’s father, filmmaker Ram Mukerji, passed away this year, he was 84.
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.”
Hichki is an upcoming Indian Bollywood film, directed by Siddharth P Malhotra and produced by Maneesh Sharma under the banner of Yash Raj Films. Principal photography began in April 2017.