'Felt Like My Dad Made This Happen': Rani Mukerji Recalls How Mother Started Howling After She Shared News Of National Award Win

Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji recently won her first National Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her 2023 film Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway. The actress recalled that she had just completed a Griha Pravesh puja in her newly renovated office, a space that once belonged to her father, Ram Mukerji and while sitting there with her mother and reminiscing about the memories the room held, she suddenly received a message on her phone that read, "I won the National Award," she told her mother in disbelief.

Rani Mukerji Shares Mother's Reaction To Her National Award Win

Rani told ANI that after the Griha Pravesh puja, she could feel her father’s presence very strongly and had him in her mind while performing the rituals and meditating. She further added that when she received the news about her win, she shared that it was her father's wish as he had rooted for her every year, hoping she would win for one of her performances, a dream that, sadly, never happened while he was alive.

The actress added, "It just felt so surreal because I told mom, 'Mom, I got a message--I won the National Award.' She couldn't believe it. She was like, 'What?' I said, 'I got a message that I won the National Award for Mrs. Chatterjee.' She took a beat to understand, and then she started howling. She started crying, and she said, 'If dad was here, he would be so happy.' I said, 'Yeah, I just feel like dad made this happen. Because I was feeling his presence so strongly. His aashirvaad that day. Absolutely. But he wasn't there to see it. He's somewhere out there, blessing me, and feeling happy.'"

Rani shared that her daughter Adira couldn’t attend the ceremony since children under 14 are not permitted, but she watched it live at home along with Karan Johar’s kids, Yash and Roohi.

Rani Mukerji Work Front

The actress will be seen next in Mardaani 3, which is set to hit the big screens in February 2026. Reportedly, she is also a part of King, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Suhana Khan and Deepika Padukone.

However, an official confirmation is awaited.