Rani Mukerji is widely regarded as the best thing to have happened to the Hindi film industry in the last 20 years. Her stellar body of work catapulted her to be unanimously regarded as one of the best actors in the history of Indian cinema. On her 44th birthday, Rani opens up about her plans to handpick the best scripts going forward and how she is excited to find ‘movies that are about hope and love’ like Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway.
Rani says, “It has been an exhilarating journey in cinema so far for me and I hope that it remains the same in the years to come. I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with some of the best minds in the form of directors, producers, actors and technicians who have pushed me to excel on screen and reinvent myself every single time. I want to continue doing that with every project because I always want to push my boundaries to see where I land. I always knew that my journey will be tough but I sailed through the last 25 years with the audience’s love by my side and my hard work and perseverance.”
She adds, “I have never accepted to be typecast or fit in a mould. I have always tried to be part of meaningful films with a very strong female protagonist at the centre of the story. I wanted to a part of good films with important stories about Indian women. There have been times where I have been blessed with films that have worked and some that missed to make a mark with the audience but I think that’s the best part about our industry. You win some and lose some and that helps you to grow from strength to strength to carve a special place as an individual artiste in a cut throat industry like ours.”
About her next, Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, Rani opens up saying, “My next project Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway is a film very close to my heart. I’m hoping that the story of this film will resonate with every Indian the way it did for me and my team. It’s an incredible story of human resilience that will appeal to audiences across the country and across every age-group.”
She adds, “I’m very emotionally invested in this story as it connected with me as an actor and a mother. These are stories that need to be told!!! I really hope my next few years in cinema is studded with more such brilliant scripts. I’m hungry for them because these films not only entertain audiences but also deliver a great message to people. I want to do movies that are about hope and love.”