"For me, cinema is a deep emotion."
Rani Mukerji has been honoured with the Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award at the 62nd Maharashtra State Film Awards in Mumbai.
The ceremony was held at Ravindra Natya Mandir in Prabhadevi, bringing together dignitaries and members of the film fraternity.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis personally presented the award to the actress at the prestigious state-level celebration of cinema.
Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar and several other notable dignitaries from the state were also present for the occasion.
Rani, who was born and raised in Mumbai, spoke about how deeply meaningful the recognition felt coming from the state she calls home.
She said: “I think that’s what makes this moment truly special for me since I’m receiving this recognition from my very own people and from the place I belong to.
“To receive an award named after the legend of Indian cinema Raj Kapoor ji is, in itself, hugely humbling.
“And I truly hope I can live up to this honour.”
She also spoke at length about what Mumbai has meant to her across nearly three decades of working in the Indian film industry.
She said: “Mumbai has given me my identity. It has given me an audience.
“It has given me a career. And it has been my home, my safe place, my everything.
“So this award will hold a very special place in my heart because whenever I look at it, I will not just see an award.
“I will see my Mumbai, my Maharashtra.”
Throughout her career, Rani has consistently chosen to portray strong, complex and resilient female characters on screen.
Reflecting on the characters she has gravitated toward, she said:
“I have always silently worked to represent the powerful girls and women of India through cinema that has its heart in the right place.
“I chose characters that felt truthful, that I felt instinctively drawn towards for their story, their journey and their resilience.”
Rani also spoke about the broader significance of cinema in Maharashtra and what the state’s film industry represents to her personally, saying:
“I have never considered cinema merely a profession.
“For me, cinema is a deep emotion. And Maharashtra is the home of that emotion.”
She paid tribute to the countless unseen people who keep the film industry running every day across the state.
“There are thousands and thousands of people here who wake up every morning with one dream: to tell a story.
“And those stories don’t remain here. They travel from Mumbai to Maharashtra, from Maharashtra to India and from India to the entire world.
“That is the magic and power of the film industry that thrives in this state.”
Rani Mukerji dedicated the award not to herself but to the entire fabric of Maharashtra’s creative community.
“I dedicate this award to Maharashtra. To its people. To its artists. To its technicians. To its filmmakers. To the entire film fraternity that calls this beautiful state home.
“And to the generations of storytellers who came before us and made it possible for a girl like me to dream.”
The dedication was a fitting conclusion to a speech that reflected the depth of her love for the city, the state and the art form that shaped her.
