Rani Mukerji unfolds on her 3-decade journey in the entertainment industry
Rani Mukerji unfolds on her 3-decade journey in the entertainment industry
Veteran actress Rani Mukerji, who was recently conferred with the National Award for her performance in ‘Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway,’ unfolded on her exceptional 30-year journey in the entertainment industry.
Acknowledged for her realistic performances and for shaping an entire era of cinema for a whole generation, Mukerji recalled her gratitude and the joy of having won the winning the recognition alongside Shah Rukh Khan, her frequent collaborator, who also won his first National Award.
In the midst of. a conversation with the media, the 47-year-old took the spotlight on Day two of the India Today Conclave 2025 amidst the session titled Queen of Reinvention: National Award to Motherhood, Winning it All.
She went on to describe the National Award as both a great motivation and a tribute to her audiences. Adding that the award means much happiness for her fans, well-wishers, her friends and family who have wished this award in her life, because, as you know, she was winning this for the first time in her life. She has actually been like a horse. Her single-minded focus has always been to work hard and do the best of her. craft – not to disappoint his audiences, because the success of a film is not really in our hands. They do the best in their films, it’s the’ choice to like a film or not. That’s what the actress has done for the last 36 years. It feels special because SRK and she won it for the first time,”
Rani was also honest over her disappointment when she didn’t win a National Award for her performance in ‘Black’ released in 2005. She admitted she was heartbroken but gradually began to believe in destiny.
The popular actress revealed how her late father felt back then. Rani Mukerji said, he gave her all in ‘Black’, and I was 25 at that time when he wasn’t i that film. There was chatter that he would win, and when I didn’t that’s when her blinkers came on and she was like ‘even when you do your best work, things might not be in your favour’. She needs to be honest and tell you that my father was very disappointed. Her baba was very heartbroken that she idn’t win that year. So was Sanjay, who was the director of the film. But, I guess when things are meant to happen, they happen. The way India and my fans cheered for me, it couldn’t have been better than that.”
Remembering her father
Asked if she felt her father’s presence the day she was informed about her National Award win, Mukerji replied: “Absolutely. The day I received the news of my National Award, she was in the room where he had passed. She finished the pooja and sat in a chair, and told her mother about winning the National Award. She started howling, because she was also feeling dad’s presence. It was just too beautiful a moment because dad was with me throughout the day, and it was as if he had made it happen,” she emotionally recalled.
“Faith, patience and gratitude”
For Rani Mukerji, the idea is simple: to believe, work hard and remain grateful, no matter what life brings. She has believed in faith and patience, and that is what she has always kept with her as a constant in her life. And whatever she gets she is very grateful and thankful for it. Whatever she doesn’t, she is very grateful and thankful for it.
But, does Rani Mukerji ever get intimidated, especially while working with a towering presence like Amitabh Bachchan? She was clear about that too.
As per the actress she deeply admires what Amitabh Bachchan brings to every set, and revealed it is, in fact, his son Abhishek Bachchan who needs to be told to get serious.
The senior Bachchan comes with so much grace, so much humility on set, and he makes the atmosphere so wonderful for his co-actors. Of course, you are intimidated because you know who the actor is, but you just get so much freedom and space to be yourself. It’s his greatness, because he is the great Mr Bachchan and he really makes it very comfortable for his co-stars,” she explained.
The experience, she said, is the complete opposite with Junior Bachchan. “He is always having fun. He’s laughing, and because he and she are very close in age, it’s more of an equal relationship in that sense. A lot of times, he would get firing for her for being well-behaved because, for him, it’s always fun. Working with him is always easy, and we have done some great work together, and we’ve had a wonderful time.
At the 71st National Awards ceremony, fans also noticed the special necklace Mukerji wore with her gorgeous silk saree. The sleek chain carried tiny charms spelling out her daughter’s name – a sweet gesture to keep Adira close to her during the momentous occasion.
Mukerji revealed that the necklace was a thoughtful gesture for Adira, who had wanted to attend the ceremony but wasn’t allowed. “She (Adira) was howling. She wanted to be a part of the National Awards function. We were told that children below 14 weren’t allowed. I had to tell her that she couldn’t be with me, and she said that’s so unfair, because ‘she is the happiest for you, and she has also made a painting for you on your special day’. And she told her, ‘Don’t worry, she will have you with her on her special day.
She also thanked those who highlighted the gesture in viral reels, which comforted her daughter after missing the ceremony. She wants to take the opportunity of this platform and tell all the people who made those reels and snippets on social media and Instagram where they said ‘Rani carried their daughter’. Those are the things that she sent her, and she felt calm afterwards.
Another prominent role that Mukerji looked back on was Mira Gaity in the 2011 film ‘No One Killed Jessica’. The actor remembered how she wanted to bring a fresh nuance to the portrayal of journalists in Indian cinema.
Mukerji explained, “It was a very important topic, and a very important film. What was really lovely about ‘No One Killed Jessica’ was, along with the content, it also was a very interesting watch, especially because of Mira’s character. She was playing a journalist for the first time and, strangely enough, there was a way that people looked at journalist characters on screen.”
The actor continued, “It was normal with a bag or kurta, and she was absolutely against it. And she was like ‘Mira should be feisty and in jeans, and she should be normally dressed’. That’s how she met journalists and she feels everybody is so well-dressed on television and so well put together, and she wanted to bring that in Mira’s character. That was one thing she thought was aspiring at that time, which they got through her character. And the way she looks, the way she is. She is just unapologetic about who she is and that was great about the character.”
When asked about her absence from social media, Mukerji humorously blamed it on her husband’s preference for privacy
She said not on social media because her husband doesn’t want to be seen, and she doesn’t want to be in trouble with her fans who ask her ‘where’s your husband’ and she can’t say that ‘he is
Mr India,'” she laughed.
She also shared her reasons for keeping her daughter off social media: “she has not put her daughter on there (on social media), because she thinks that is also supposed till the time she is, she thinks 14 or 16, when she chooses to do what she wants to do. Until then, she wants to protect her.
A director’s actor, always learning
Is Rani a director’s actor or not? How does she choose a character and bring her personal experience into portrayals? Mukerji said, “In our daily lives, we observe a lot of things, we observe nuances. We might pick up a nuance here or there, or pick up a character that we have seen. She like to imbibe that in one of his roles and that’s the discussion that she has with her directors – the inputs that you have to enhance, what the writers already wrote, or the directors have already thought of. That’s what makes the film. It’s not a one-way street. Because a film is an amalgamation of 100 people coming together and making that one film.”
“There could be input from music directors, editors – filmmaking is all about the technicians – the head of all the departments coming together and giving their best.could give input about how he would like to have a particular scene. It’s always like an improvisation that keeps happening and that’s what finally the audience gets to see,” she continued.
As Rani Mukerji looks back on her journey, from breaking stereotypes on screen to carrying her father’s dreams and now her daughter’s pride, what stands out is her resilience. Whether it is holding her ground as an actor, choosing meaningful roles, or balancing motherhood with stardom, she continues to reinvent herself without losing her authenticity.
In her own words, it all comes down to faith, patience, and gratitude – values that have carried her through 30 years in cinema, and now, to the long-awaited recognition of a National Award. For Rani, the story is still being written, one role and one reinvention at a time.
News Edit KV Raman
