Three decades in cinema, and over the course of 71 films, Rani Mukerji has navigated romance, drama, comedy and fierce, socially charged roles with equal conviction, constantly redefining what longevity for a leading woman in Bollywood can look like. From early films like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Saathiya and Hum Tum, to powerful intense roles in films like Black, Hichki, Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, to the successful Mardaani franchise – her career has been marked by reinvention and a refusal to be boxed in by industry stereotypes. In a special Women’s Day conversation on the Bombay Times Lounge, she speaks about shattering the glass ceiling, channelling her angst around crimes against women through her art, and embracing vulnerability in a world that constantly expects women to “have it all together.” Over the years, you’ve played women who are strong, flawed, resilient, and often ahead of their time. Looking back, do you feel these roles shaped the conversation around how women are portrayed in Hindi cinema? I do feel that many of these roles helped shape the conversation around how women are portrayed in our cinema. My characters have often been written with agency and emotional intelligence. Hum Tum marked a shift towards urban, contemporary storytelling. Black beautifully portrayed the strength of the human spirit and a woman’s ability to rise above immense challenges. In Mardaani, my character broke stereotypes by portraying a tough, morally driven police officer, proving that women-led stories could thrive in action-driven narratives. No One Killed Jessica highlighted the power of women standing up against injustice. Hichki was a heart-warming story that addressed inclusivity and learning disabilities with great sensitivity. With Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, I had the opportunity to anchor an intense and emotionally powerful narrative almost single-handedly.

You rewrote the rules for yourself from the start. The industry, for the longest time, had a certain image of how a leading actress should be portrayed on screen. You made your voice one of your strengths, it’s what gave you a distinctive quality. But when you were starting out, how did you use all the comments or criticism around that to fuel you? I think it is important that certain things hurt you, as you can then make them into building blocks for your life, instead of letting it pull you down. To be resilient at times when you have been hurt shows true character. It is normal to go through that; it is part of growing up and part of evolving as a true artiste. Also, I think to live your life according to somebody else’s opinion of you is not an intelligent thing to do. In life, no one thing remains constant, so if people didn’t like my voice back then, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t like it forever. You can’t take what people tell you at first instant too much to heart. I’m very, very grateful for the comments – good and bad – because they have shaped me into the person and the actor that I am today.

The first part of the Mardaani franchise released 12 years ago, and sadly, conversations around crimes against women and safety continue to be painfully relevant even today. How do you reflect on this as someone who has fronted the franchise? What has changed in the 12 years is that today, women are not willing to be silenced. They have a strong opinion; they are finding their voice and want their voice to be heard. Women have always associated the word fear since childhood. At some point in our lives, most of us have faced untoward situations. It happened to me. It’s probably happened to you. It happens to women, irrespective of their age and where they come from. And it doesn’t only happen outside, it happens within the walls of our homes too. All these experiences have hardened us in their own way, and the problem also is that women trust people easily. Today, we have no choice but to tell our children to be less trusting of people around them. It is something that has disturbed me from my younger days, and not being able to do anything about it makes me angry. The only way to channelise that is through my work, my art form. And having a daughter (Adira) changes the way you look at everything. Now my niece is 18, and she wants to be independent and travel and it worries me. It’s like a part of you is out there. Crimes (like in Mardaani) are happening as we speak. That is our reality. The film raises pertinent questions and talks about these uncomfortable truths. Today, we are living in scary times.

Society often puts women through various contradictions — you have to be powerful but soft, driven but not too aggressive, ambitious but not too fierce. How do you view such contradictions, and in your own journey, how did you process them? It is very difficult. I don’t think it is easy for women in any position. It generally comes from an attitude where no one wants to be scolded by a woman, no one wants to get a dressing down from a woman. For many, seeing women in a position of power can be unsettling. I think it’s more about the male ego, which comes into the picture. I have navigated this and also dodged it. You know, when people ask me why I cut down on doing so many films, the reason was a conscious one where I wanted to work with like-minded people. There comes a time in your life when you are in a position where you can pick and choose the people who you want as part of your journey. Especially after having my daughter, I think it’s so important that she knows what I am doing means something and that mamma is part of a story that has to be told.You’ve done romantic roles, rom-coms and dramas. Would you say that Mardaani’s Shivani Shivaji Roy is closest to Rani’s inner fire?Yes, absolutely! Not to say that I don’t love doing romantic roles. I really love romances and I am still waiting for somebody to write a really lovely love story.

There is often an unspoken expectation from women to “do it all” and “to hold it all together” irrespective of what emotional phase they are in — whether it is in the capacity of a daughter, wife, mom or a working woman. Did you ever see yourself going through this, and how did you navigate it? Of course, we all go through that process and it’s natural to go through different hormonal changes which we have no control over. I don’t think we should fight it. But if there is education around these emotional journeys that women have to go through at every decade of our life, it will make life easier. If you have mood swings, it’s fine. It is okay to get exasperated. On some days, you’re so tired that your emotions get all mixed up with your physical exhaustion and you break down. Also, I think, this whole thing that we’ve always been told that women have to be strong to handle everything, that myth should be broken. Women should be given a break, because suppressing our emotions is the worst thing that we can do to our bodies and health. Sharing our sadness, confusions and the dilemmas that we go through with our close ones is important. A strong support system during such times can make a huge difference.

Adira is now 10, does she realise the impact of your work, the gravity of being Rani Mukerji? She’s slowly understanding it and she’s very proud of me, which is beautiful. What more do you want? In the beginning, seeing the pride in my parents’ eyes made my life. Then, of course, came my husband (Aditya Chopra), and now, it’s my daughter. It’s important that people close to you and your inner circle are truly proud of you and root for you. That means a lot to me. The complete interview with Rani Mukerji will drop soon on the Bombay Times YouTube channelLocation partner: Soho House