Rani Mukherjee pens heartfelt letter for fans on 40th birthday

Bollywood star Rani Mukerji has penned a letter to her fans highlighting the good memories and challenges she has faced during her 22-year journey in Bollywood.

The letter penned by the actor on her 40th birthday (today) was shared by Yash Raj Films on their social media.

Having worked in close to 50 movies over the years, Rani in her letter shared the importance of breaking stereotypes via films and her plans to continue changing mindsets about women in the future.

“It feels great to be 40! It feels great to have also worked for 22 years and having been incredibly lucky to get so much love and appreciation. Very rarely do we artists get material that can genuinely cause social change, cause 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,” she wrote.

The actor, while expressing gratitude also called out the discrimination in the entertainment industry. "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."

The actor continued, “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.

However, Rani pointed out that these factors will not stop her.

“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 fills 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.”

Rani will return to the silver screen for the first time after the birth of her daughter Adira Chopra with Hichki.