Aditya Chopra tells Rani Mukerji not to change her life for daughter Adira

Rani MukerjiRani Mukerji is happy and its showing Despite the afternoon heat her excitement is unbridled when we meet her at YashRaj Studios And as we chat its clear that its all to do with her twoyearold daughter Adira But as she says it was husband Aditya Chopra who has been reminding her that she is an actor first Thats why she agreed to do Hichki her upcoming film about Naina Mathur a teacher suffering from Tourette Syndrome As she gets ready to make yet another comeback she is clear that what matters is how her audience reacts to her not their view on what she wore at the airport We expected nothing elseA still from Hichki where Ranis Naina Mathur suffers from Tourette SyndromeExcerpts from an interviewWhat made you come back to the sets of a movieNothing prepares you for what happens when you have a child People can tell you all that they know but till you have the baby in your arms you dont have a clue Once I had Adira I became blinded focused obsessed call it what you want I realised then that for a woman its very hard to leave a child and go to work Instinctively women choose to be with their child as thats where they find eternal happiness Whatever achievements or happiness I had before this it pales in comparison So for me to be able to detach from her the role had to be worth itWhat makes Hichki specialIt has the sort of character I dig Naina Mathur the character she plays has Tourette Syndrome and not much is known about the condition in India Children and teachers are unaware and they dont know how to handle it Love attention and patience is needed There is no cure you have to control it with love You have to give the person space and these children need to go to special schools have to be equipped to deal with such kids If I get to play Naina through my character I can tell India this is what it is dont shy away from it work on it Dont see it as a shortcoming make it your advantage Nainas character is based on Brad Cohen an American motivational speaker and teacher who suffers from the condition He wrote a book called Front of the Class How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had And the movie speaks about the education system which I hadnt even ever thought about before I had AdiraWhat was the prep that you put inI had repeated Skype calls with Brad I needed to understand his life I had to deal with my characters spirit whats she like as a person and so I needed to understand what he went through And then I went through a lot of YouTube videos to see what kind of tics people have before I developed something for Naina I couldnt copy or perform I had to invent something from within me What was Adityas take on your return to back to workMy husband saw that I was getting too consumed by Adira He is a professional and understands who I am He consciously and constantly kept reminding me that I needed to go back and do what I do best that is act Thats me thats my individuality He kept telling me Adira is going to be there with us forever you cant change your life for her Dont forget who you are I dont think this movie would have happened if not for himIts been a while since you were on set Did you jump right in or did it take time to settle inI kept telling the team why did you choose me I think I am now only good at changing nappies I have forgotten acting The first day I left for work I was howling in the car as I left Adira I was going to do something I love but my love for Adira was stronger Its a tough role and I want it to be natural as I want people to forget its Rani and only see the character I was plagued by anxiety and doubt But then I entered the shoot zone and it all just came to me It was part of me I belonged thereYou once told me that you cant be on social media since a star needs some mystery Do you still feel that sameI think I will remain the person who said that I have got married to someone who isnt open about his life There will always be a part of me that believes that I dont need to let everyone in on my personal life My fans want to see me on screen Who I am is about the work I do What I am doing beyond that shouldnt be anyones business If you dont give the audience what they want on screen they can scrutinise you But to be scrutinised for what you do in your daily life and what you wear twice or your opinion on something is unnecessary My husband is never going to be comfortable with me sharing his pictures on social media and I am complete with my husband What drives me is that people will watch the movie and they will offer their verdict Thats my high Its not about what I wear because thats not my job My job is to actWhats happens at home when the three of you get togetherIf I have work I come to the office and talk to Aditya like a professional rather than bring it home Adi gets a few moments with us and when we are together we like to indulge Adira and talk about the house and stuff like that These days we talk about schools since she will start it soon We are also talking about my birthday which is two days before the movie releases There is going to be lots to doAlso ReadRani Mukerji Releases New Song Oye Hichki From Her Upcoming Film At Her SchoolCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates