Rani on empowering roles: Love to be a part of stories that break glass ceiling
Rani Mukerji is a cinematic icon of our times and one of the most successful heroines in the history of Indian cinema. She has often chosen versatile and unconventional films and roles that set a precedent for representing and celebrating women in India. For Rani, we are still in a work-in-progress society – she says she wants to do her bit by choosing roles that show women taking on patriarchy and winning against it.
Rani says, ”I love to be a part of stories where the woman is the agent of change, where a woman is strong enough to take on a system and alter it for the good and where a woman dares to take on patriarchy, the so-called glass ceiling and smash it with her ambition and talent. These are the roles that I naturally gravitate to because I have always wanted to show women as fiercely independent builders of our nation.“
Rani disclosed that her all-time favourite film is the cult classic ‘Mother India’ – a film that is credited with being one of the best representations of the spirit of womanhood in world cinema.
She says, “Ever since I was a child, my favourite film was and remains Mother India and that film showed the integrity of a woman despite her circumstances and the grinding pressures of our society on women at large. I have always been inspired to play such characters because women need to be celebrated for all the silent heroism that she does in everyday life.”
Rani’s last film, Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway (MCVN) became a bonafide hit in theatres and problematized the narrative of audiences wanting to watch content-centric films only on OTT platforms. Rani says she was always sure that audiences would want to see the story of a courageous women in theatres.
She says, “Look at MCVN, the courage of this girl is beyond imagination because she took on a whole country for her children and she won! That resonated with people intensely and the result is there for everyone to see! Socially relevant films like MCVN are made so that it can hopefully bring about a change in the society. We are aware of so many cases of Indian parents in foreign countries who have been separated from their children. If our film can aid these parents in any way to drive more awareness on this global issue, it will all be worth it.”
She adds, “I want to tell stories of more such women on screen in my career. I feel good to tell the world to look out for Indian women. They are made of a rare substance that needs to be recognized.”
