Rani Mukerji Honoured With Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award: ‘I Chose Characters That Felt Truthful’

Rani Mukerji was honoured with the Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award at the 62nd Maharashtra State Film Awards ceremony in Mumbai on Wednesday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis presented the award to the actor at Ravindra Natya Mandir in Prabhadevi, with Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar and members of the film fraternity also in attendance.

Rani Mukerji On Mumbai And Maharashtra

Speaking at the ceremony, Rani reflected on her long association with Mumbai and Maharashtra. She described the city as the place that gave her an identity, an audience and a career, while also becoming her home and safe place.

The actor said the award would therefore hold a special place in her heart as it would remind her of Mumbai and Maharashtra. She also spoke about the women she has portrayed throughout her career, including characters in Black, No One Killed Jessica, Hichki, the Mardaani franchise and Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway.

"I have always silently worked to represent the powerful girls and women of India through cinema that has its heart in the right place," Rani said.

She added that she had chosen characters that felt truthful and that she was instinctively drawn to their stories, journeys and resilience. Such women, she said, had courage and flaws and refused to disappear into the background or wait for someone else to rescue them.

62nd Maharashtra State Film Awards Winners List

The 62nd Maharashtra State Film Awards honoured several prominent names and films from the Marathi and Hindi film industries. Among the special award recipients were Salim Khan, who received the Raj Kapoor Award, Rani Mukerji, who was honoured with the Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award, Hridaynath Mangeshkar, who received the V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award, and Prasad Oak, who won the V. Shantaram Special Contribution Award.

In the Best Film I category, Chabila emerged as the winner, with Anil Amrut Bhalerao receiving the Best Director I award for the film. Gharat Ganpati won Best Film II, while Navjyot Bandiwadekar was named Best Director II. Nach Ga Ghuma took home Best Film III, with Paresh Mokashi winning Best Director III.

Navardev Bsc. Agri. was named Best Rural Film, while Ram Khatmode won Best Rural Film Director for the film. Sthal won Best Social Film, with Jayant Somalkar receiving the Best Social Film Director award.

The films that made it to the final round included Sthal, Chabila, Kurla To Vengurla, Dharmarakshak Mahaveer Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Ghaath, Swargandharva Sudhir Phadke, Gharat Ganpati, Navardev Bsc. Agri., Nach Ga Ghuma and Mukkam Post Devach Ghar. The Acting Awards were also announced during the ceremony, recognising performances across the shortlisted films.

Rani Mukerji says cinema is a 'deep emotion'

Rani also spoke about her relationship with cinema, saying it had never been merely a profession for her. "For me, cinema is a deep emotion. And Maharashtra is the home of that emotion," she said.

She acknowledged the thousands of artists, technicians and filmmakers working across the state and said their stories travel from Mumbai to Maharashtra, India and audiences around the world.

The actor dedicated the Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award to Maharashtra, its people and the film fraternity, as well as generations of storytellers who made it possible for aspiring actors and filmmakers to dream.