I was born to be an actor and entertain: Rani Mukerji on 40th birthday

In a message, Mukerji said: "It feels great to be 40! It feels great to have also worked for 22 years and having being incredibly lucky to get so much love and appreciation. Very rarely do we artists get material that can genuinely cause social change, cause change in attitude and thinking and I have been fortunate enough to get such content multiple times."

She added, "I realised very late that I was actually born to be an actor, that I was born to be entertain. And I hope I have been able to do just that."

Mukerji has also explicated how tough it is for an actress to thrive in the film industry.

Speaking about her own journey, Mukerji said: "I must admit, it has not been an easy journey. I had to prove myself everyday. Actresses have to prove themselves everyday."

"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-these are some of the discriminatory stereotypes that we have to live with and try to overcome every single day."

Mukerji, who made her debut with Raja Ki Aayegi Baarat in 1997, was last seen in 2014 film Mardaani.

She took a break from films following the birth of her daughter Adira.

Mukerji will next be seen in Hichki, which is just two days away from its release.

In Hichki, Mukerji will be seen playing a role of a teacher who suffers from Tourette syndrome.

Mukerji is incidentally the sister of other senior Bolllywood actress Kajol.