The 71st National Film Awards became a night of milestones, nostalgia, and celebration for Indian cinema. Among the most memorable highlights was Rani Mukerji’s long-awaited recognition, as she bagged her first National Award for Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway.
Draped in an elegant saree, Rani was seated in the front row next to Shah Rukh Khan, her long-time co-star with whom she has delivered some of Hindi cinema’s most loved films. The sight of the two together immediately caught the cameras and sent fans into a frenzy on the live Doordarshan broadcast, with the chat section flooded by viewers celebrating their reunion. Close by was Vikrant Massey, applauding his peers as he marked his own presence among senior stars.
Rani’s win carried extra weight because Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway is not just another film, but a deeply emotional story inspired by real events. It is based on the life of Sagarika Chakraborty, an Indian mother in Norway who faced the unimaginable when her children were taken away by Norwegian child welfare authorities in 2011. Practices such as co-sleeping and hand-feeding, common in Indian households, were deemed neglect under Norwegian norms. What followed was a long and painful legal and cultural battle that stretched across continents.
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In the film, Rani plays Debika Chatterjee, capturing both the raw heartbreak of a mother’s separation and the fierce resilience of a woman taking on an entire system. Critics praised her for balancing vulnerability with strength, and for portraying an immigrant’s struggle without melodrama. For Rani, who has been a cornerstone of Bollywood for nearly three decades, the National Award is validation of her craft and her ability to reinvent herself with layered, challenging roles.
The ceremony itself was a perfect reflection of Indian cinema’s range—veterans like Shah Rukh and Rani sharing space with younger stars like Vikrant Massey. But the evening ultimately belonged to Rani Mukerji, who turned a painful real-life story into a cinematic triumph, and in doing so, earned the country’s highest recognition for an actor.
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