Actress Rani Mukerji, who has completed three decades in the Hindi film industry, has been honoured at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) with a special citation recognising her contribution to acting.
Reflecting on the honour, Mukerji said she felt fortunate to have portrayed women who were emotionally expressive, resilient and determined to shape their own lives.
“I’ve been fortunate to play women who laughed loudly, loved deeply, fought fearlessly and never stopped believing in themselves,” she said.
Over a career spanning diverse genres, Mukerji has created several memorable female characters in contemporary Hindi cinema. Her filmography includes Black, Hum Tum, Yuva, Bunty Aur Babli, No One Killed Jessica, Hichki, the Mardaani franchise and Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway.
The actress said she never imagined when she entered the industry as a young actor that her work would eventually reach audiences across the world.
“When I entered the Indian film industry as a young girl, I never imagined that one day my films and the characters that I have been fortunate enough to play, would take me across oceans and that people in a beautiful country like Australia would embrace me with so much warmth,” she said.
Mukerji described connecting with audiences worldwide through cinema as one of the greatest gifts of her profession and said Australia had consistently welcomed Indian cinema.
She added that an actor’s performance acquires its true meaning when it connects with audiences.
“To know that for three decades my films, my characters and my voice have travelled so far from home and still found a place in your lives is incredibly humbling,” she said.
Mukerji also reflected on the impact of her characters on her own journey, saying each role had changed her in some way and helped her grow not only as an actor but also as a person.