Rani Goes Light-Hearted For Hichki

The last time she decided to step out of her newly-formed cocoon of domesticity, Rani Mukherjee did  the dark and grim Mardaani on the theme of  human trafficking.

This time Rani just wants to have fun.

Siiddharth P Malhotra, the director of  Hichki the new film that Rani has signed, has gone through his own share of hiccups. His debut filmWe Are Family , and his only credit as a director so far, was released in 2010.

What took him so long to put together his second feature film? Apparently Siddharth who is the grandson of the legendary actorsPremnath and Beena Rai and son of actor Prem Kishen(who starred in the blockbuster Dulhan Wohi Jo Piya Man Bhaye in 1977)  went back to his We are Family producer Karan Johar, many times with projects.

They were all turned down.

“I guess this was destined for me. Whatever happens, happens for the best , and all in good time. I tried putting together other projects. But somehow they didn’t work out. Everything has a time and place I guess,” says Siddharth, a self-confessed diehard fan of Kajol,Siddharth had vowed he would never direct a film without Kajol afterWe Are Family.

Says Siddharth, “My respect for Kajol’s talent remains undiminished. However Hichki was offered to no one except  Rani.I can see no other actress in that role.”

At  the moment no other detail in Hichki has been worked out.

Says Siddharth, “I am still working on the script. All I know so far is that Rani Mukherjee will play the lead.  The rest  of the cast and crew are not yet locked in. We’ll do so once the script is ready.

Rani Mukherjee in the meanwhile expresses a  huge delight in returning to acting after motherhood. “I was looking for a script that would challenge and excite me, and Hichki came my way. Each of us has a weakness that pulls us back. It could be a disability or any condition but if we just look at it as simply a hiccup, we can emerge as a winner. It won’t come in the way of achieving our dreams. Hichkiis built on this positive premise and I decided to take it up.”