Rani Mukerji starrer Hichki released in March 2018. The film got positive reviews and went on to collect more than Rs 250 crore at the box office worldwide. The movie didn’t really get many accolades at the award functions in India, but it is surely making a mark internationally.
Recently, at Giffoni Film Festival in Italy, the Siddharth P Malhotra directorial won Gryphon Award for Best Film. At the festival, there’s a segment called Elements +10, where jury’s age range from 10 to 12 years. Over 1500 children voted for seven feature films from different countries like China, Germany, Sweden, Australia and Netherlands in the Elements + 10 category. But it was Hichki that won the award.
The movie was produced by Maneesh Sharma under Yash Raj Films banner. Talking about winning at Giffoni, Sharma said, “Hichki is truly a universal film that has resonated with audiences across the world. The fact that children have voted Hichki as the Best Film of the festival just goes to show that the film's story of overcoming odds and finding your own success is relevant to cinema lovers even in this age group.”
Rani Mukerji’s character Naina suffered from Tourette syndrome in the film and the movie showcased how she overcomes this obstacle and becomes a successful teacher. Rani simply nailed it with her performance in the film, and even the casting of the kids was perfect in Hichki.
Talking about Rani’s next movie, the actress will be seen in Mardaani 2 which is a sequel to 2014 release Mardaani. The first instalment tackled the issue of child trafficking in India and while talking about the sequel, Rani had told a few days ago, “In Hichki, they (audience) came to know about the symptoms of Tourettes which not many people knew in India. With Mardaani we got to tell people how the menace of child trafficking exists in our lives even though we don’t want to see it but it is rampant around us. In Mardaani 2, we will again tackle a subject that will be shocking; it will show something very real, very alarming to audiences and make them aware of what’s happening in and around our lives.”
Mardaani 2 is directed by Gopi Puthran and reportedly it will hit the screens in November this year.
Vikram Doraiswami
Andrew Quintman
Lord Jitesh Gadhia 
Chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani along with his wife Nita Mukesh Ambani (Photo: Getty Images)