Rani Mukerji's Hichki producer Maneesh Sharma: Stardom has no gender today

Fresh from the success of Rani Mukerji-starrer Hichki, producer Maneesh Sharma says stardom has no gender today as the audience is accepting good stories irrespective of the actor featuring in the film.
The film lovers value content and talent, he believes.

"Rani is a big star. Her last outing ('Mardaani') was a big hit. Today, stardom has no gender. We have had a female-led narrative and it has done very well. It is extremely rewarding. Content and talent are the heroes," Maneesh said.

He says the commercial success of Hichki reassures his belief in good cinema and gives him a boost to support engaging and entertaining stories. During several screenings for the film fraternity, Maneesh received a lot of love and warmth for the movie and he knew the film had its heart in the right place, but he needed the validation from the audience.

In hindsight, the producer-director feels Hichki was a risk, but today he only hopes that the film has a long life and more people watch it. The Band Baaja Baarat director says he trusted his instincts to back Rani's comeback film, in which she plays a teacher who suffers from Tourette Syndrome.

He did not expect the story to resonate as remarkably as it has, he says. "... I am glad that it is being accepted and it has got success not only in terms of numbers but by word of mouth also. There is a resonance with the film and that is one of the most precious feeling for a filmmaker. It has become a conversation today and there could be no bigger joy than this," he says.

Maneesh says the makers were not trying to deliver a social message, but it was rather essential to narrate the story in an interesting manner. "The journey is not only of Naina (Rani), she ends up with a bunch of children who are discriminated, looked down upon. It is being said that when someone suffers from a disease the whole family suffers," he says.

Hichki is Maneesh's third consecutive hit as a producer, and he says he always goes by his gut and hopes for the best. "I never had this plan of becoming a producer, it was not my long distance plan. I became a producer just like that. I am passionate about the process of filmmaking," he says.

"I am as attached to films where I served as an assistant director. Now I have a new role to play and I am enjoying it. I am equally happy with the films I have produced and directed," he says.

Recalling his initial days, the Fan director says when he was waiting for the release of his first film Band Baaja Baaraat, he was told that his career was finished. "I was told no one would come to watch the hero (Ranveer Singh) and the girl (Anushka Sharma) was ok, but the movie turned out to be really well," he says.

"When I made a film with a big superstar (Shah Rukh Khan - 'Fan') it was not formulaic, it had no songs, no romance, so I find myself in a very underdog-like situation every Friday," he adds.

In this game of box office numbers, Maneesh is aware that some films will get appreciation from audience and some will not, but his focus will always be on content-driven stories.