7 Years of Hichki: Siddharth P Malhotra reveals the Rani Mukerji starrer decided whether he was a filmmaker or not 7 : Bollywood News – Bollywood Hungama

Tell us about the genesis of Hichki, where Rani Mukerji played a schoolteacher with Tourette Syndrome.
My first film, We Are Family (starring Kajol and Kareena Kapoor), was declared average at the box office. For a first-time filmmaker, that was heartbreaking. A film that meant so much to me didn’t perform as expected, leading to a vulnerable phase in my career.

7 Years of Hichki: Siddharth P Malhotra reveals the Rani Mukerji starrer decided whether he was a filmmaker or not

The second film is always more difficult, isn’t it?
Absolutely. I received a lot of advice from different people, but I soon realized that if you try to listen to everyone, you lose your own voice. I knew my next film had to be a make-or-break effort—something that reflected my voice as a filmmaker while working with the right collaborators. At the end of the day, filmmaking is a team effort, but the final say had to be mine.

How did the idea of Hichki come to you?
When I was at my lowest, my younger maama (maternal uncle), Raaj Mehta, and his son Rishi read the book Front of the Class by Brad Cohen. There was also a Hallmark movie based on it, but I found it too sweet and simplistic. It focused on Brad’s journey with schoolchildren, but I wanted to bring more layers to the story.

Did you move away from the original source material?
Yes, we began adapting it with writers Ganesh Pandit, Ambar Grab, and my maama Raju. Years ago, I had worked on a pilot titled Class 9, which never saw the light of day. That project featured a class called 9F, and I incorporated that element into Hichki. The script kept evolving, and thanks to the many writers involved—who were all credited—we finally had the film we believed in.

It sounds like a long and difficult process.
It took me seven years just to get it greenlit. I went from producer to producer, male actor to male actor, but they were either unsure if I could deliver or wanted a bigger studio to back the film. At that time, even Dharma Productions wasn’t interested.

So, after We Are Family, Karan Johar didn’t want to produce another film with you?
There was a lot of heartache. One day, my wife suggested, ‘Why don’t you approach Adi (Aditya Chopra)?’ I responded cynically, saying, ‘Oh sure, the biggest producer in the country is just waiting for me!’ I truly believed he wouldn’t even give me the time of day.

What made you change your mind?
Maybe the universe was listening to my wife. Ashish Patel, who was with Yash Raj Films at the time, heard the story, loved it, and set up a meeting with Adi. When I narrated the film, Adi told me, I haven’t watched your last film, but the fire in your belly tells me you’ll make a great film. He was directing Befikre at the time, so Maneesh Sharma took charge, and he loved it.

How did Rani Mukerji come on board?

Adi and Maneesh suggested turning the male protagonist into a female character, which didn’t change the essence of the story. And then, as if fate had a plan, Rani heard the script. She had just given birth to Adira at the time, and once she connected with the story, I found my biggest collaborator. She envisioned the same film that I did.

Rani was phenomenal in Hichki.
She’s an actor par excellence. She can spoil any filmmaker because she’s that good. Another pillar of strength was my cinematographer, Avinash Arun—he’s like a brother and a soul friend for life.

Do you consider Hichki your most important film?
Without a doubt. It was the film that determined whether I was truly a filmmaker or not. It was my vision, and whether it received brickbats or garlands, they would all be mine. Today, I can humbly say that the garlands belong to everyone—my technical team, assistants, maama, wife, parents, and kids who stood by me. But the real heroes of the film were Aditya Chopra and Maneesh Sharma, who empowered me to tell this story.

I’ll always be grateful to YRF and to everyone who continues to support me. Now, with Maharaj coming up, I feel even more blessed to be telling stories that matter.

Also Read: Rani Mukerji gears up for Mardaani 3, shooting begins in June