Rani Mukerji doesn't mince words. The 40 year old star is celebrating her birthday today (Yes, she is on the wrong side of 40 now!). On her special day Rani is also anticipating good response for her forthcoming release Hichki in which she plays an aspiring teacher with tourette Syndrome.  It surely is a film with a substantial plot revolving around a female character--which is a rare occurrence in  patriarchal Bollywood.

Rani starts off her specially penned down letter to thank how blessed she feels she is both as an individual as indeed as a performer. "It feels great to be 40! It feels great to have also worked for 22 years and have been incredibly lucky to get so much love and appreciation. Very rarely do we artists get material that can genuinely cause social change, cause a 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," the actress said.

Rani also reflected on how she did justice to her calling to be an actor and also discussed a range of issues one faces by just being a fairer gender.  "I realised very late that I was actually born to be an actor, that I was born to entertain. And I hope I have been able to do just that". "As a woman, I must admit, it has not been an easy journey. 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 - there are some of the discriminatory stereotypes that we have to live with and try to overcome every single day."

She continues to talk about the subject matter that needs to addressed in the right way "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."

Rani's heartfelt letter She concluded the letter with on a note full of hopefulness and optimism. She wrote, "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 of my fellow stunning, beautiful, kind, and talented actresses and hope to see our society and the film industry mature, 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. Yours forever, RANI", she concludes.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 21, 2018 04:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).