Actor Rani Mukerji, who is gearing up for the release of her next Mardaani 3, via the official Instagram handle of Yash Raj Films on Monday, shared a long post, celebrating her 30 years in the film industry.
Ran’s screen debut was with the 1996 Bengali film Biyer Phool. Her Hindi film debut was also the same year with Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat.
She started her note with: “Thirty years… When I say that out loud, it feels unreal but it also tells me that if you do something that you love from the bottom of your heart, time flies and you are left hungry for more…”
“When I did Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat, I was barely aware of what a “career” in cinema would look like. I only knew that acting made me feel alive. That film taught me my first big lesson: cinema is not about glamour first – it is about responsibility. Playing a woman fighting for dignity so early in my journey shaped the actor I would become,” she added.
Talking about her work in the 90s, Rani wrote, “The late ’90s were magical for me. I often say that audiences give you your destiny. The films that I did during this time gave me mine. They opened doors, but more importantly, they made me realise how deeply Hindi cinema lives in people’s hearts.” In 2002, Rani did Saathiya, the Hindi remake of the 2000 Tamil film Alaipayuthey, also starring Vivek Oberoi. Talking about it she wrote, “Saathiya was not just a film, it was a turning point. I played a flawed, impulsive, emotional woman – and I remember feeling liberated. I didn’t want to be perfect on screen. I wanted to be honest. That desire led me to films like Hum Tum, and showed me that women could be funny, sharp, and vulnerable all at once.”
She also remembered Black (2005), directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, in which Rani played the role of a visually-impaired woman. “That film changed everything I believed about myself as an actor. Working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Amitabh Bachchan pushed me to places I didn’t know existed within me. It demanded discipline, surrender, and courage. Even today, Black remains one of the most emotionally intense experiences of my life. It taught me that silence can speak louder than words – and that acting is as much about listening as it is about performing.”
Rani has always picked up roles of strong women, reflecting on her choices she stated, “I have always been drawn to women who challenge the world around them. Whether it was the spirited small-town girl with big dreams in Bunty Aur Babli, the fierce journalist in No One Killed Jessica, or the relentless police officer in Mardaani, I felt a deep connection to characters who refuse to back down, who want to shatter patriarchy and have a lot of grace while doing so.”
Last year, Rani also won her first National Award for Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway (2023). “Playing a mother gave me my first National Award and I’m a believer in signs. Maybe I was born to play this role which is why the universe reserved the feeling of me winning this award for when I became a mother and understood what a woman can do for her offspring…” she wrote.
Finally, thanking her fans and well-wishers over the years, Rani wrote, “Thank you for letting me live so many lives. Today, I’m still feeling like a newcomer, wanting to excel, to work harder, to take on new cinematic challenges and write a totally new chapter of my life starting right now…To my fans and audiences who have always rooted for me, stood beside me and cheered for this girl who has become a woman, I bow down with respect and love. I would not have been here without you. I would have been no one without you.”
Her next, Mardaani 3, is scheduled to release on January 30.