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Did you know Rani Mukerji’s Hichki was initially written for male actor? Director Siddharth P Malhotra was called ‘mad’ for making it
Filmmaker Siddharth P. Malhotra, who recently directed Maharaj, has revealed that the lead character of his movie, Hichki, eventually played by Rani Mukerji, was written for a male actor.
The 2018 film Hichki was a milestone in actor Rani Mukerji’s career as the movie was a massive hit globally. More than India, this Siddharth P Malhotra directorial did wonders at the China box office.
In a recent interview with India Today, the filmmaker revealed that he was called mad to think of a film like this and that Hichki was initially envisioned, keeping in mind a male actor as the lead.
Why was everyone skeptical about Hichki initially?
Siddharth P Malhotra made his directorial debut with We Are Family in 2010, and the only project he wanted to pursue after that was Hichki. “The entire world told me you're mad; it's a non-commercial film without a hero, no romance angle, and a teacher who has Tourette's Syndrome,” the filmmaker shared. While people told him it was an art film, he was adamant that it was a commercial film.
Malhotra recalled going door-to-door for almost five years until Aditya Chopra happened to hear his narration. His reaction? “You will make this film. Just one thing, change it from male to female.” And from that point, there was no looking back for Siddharth. The movie marked Rani Mukerji’s comeback appearance on the big screen and was based on the book Front of the Class.
Interestingly, cut to 2024, six years later, Aditya Chopra again decided to bankroll Siddharth’s movie Maharaj, which is currently creating waves on the internet. A debut movie of Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan, this historical drama was based on 1862’s Maharaj Libel Case and also starred Sharvari, Shalini Pandey, and Jaideep Ahlawat in key roles.
Siddharth P Malhotra advocated a profit-sharing model for actors
Addressing the ongoing commercial disbalance in cinema space due to massive star fees, Siddharth admitted that the budgets are simply not working out. He agreed that the cost invested in a star to bring them on board is not giving any commercial return.
“If I think your budget for a film is correct and you give your stars a percentage of profit instead of signing them on huge amounts, maybe more films will be made,” Siddharth opined.
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