Rani Mukerji has had a stellar 2023 with her powerful act in the emotionally heart-rending Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway — based on a true story of an Indian mother fighting tooth and nail against an unfriendly and non-inclusive foreign system to get back her young children. t2 chatted with Rani on what went into playing the intense Debika in the film (which was a winner at the box office as well as on OTT), why she loves watching herself on the big screen and why the success of Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan means so much to her.

The success of Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway heralded the beginning of mid-budget films like Zara Hatke Zara Bachke and Satyaprem Ki Katha doing well at the box office at a time when people were questioning if only tentpole Bollywood films would work on the big screen. Looking back, what do you think worked so well for the film?

I think there was a lot of honesty, there was a lot of truth and there was a lot of thirst in people to watch a film like that on the big screen. You don’t want to go to movie theatres all the time and only laugh and have a gala time. You also sometimes want to get immersed in the cinema experience of a true story or a film that really moves you to tears. To have fun and laugh and dance is not always real cinema, right? Cinema comprises many different aspects of life. And I think Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway somewhere triggered and touched a chord with a lot of the real emotions that probably got people together to understand what Indians go through abroad.

It was a true story and I think that is something that really made people want to go and watch this on the big screen. And the other reason is they know that they can’t see me on OTT... they have no choice but to go and see me on the big screen (laughs)!

You are a winner on OTT also. According to the year-end numbers shared by Netflix, Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway is one of the top viewed films on the streaming platform globally. You must still be getting quite a lot of feedback for the film. Has there been anything that’s special?

When the film released, the most important person was Sagarika (Chakraborty, on whose life and experiences the film was based). When she saw the film, she was so moved because I was talking about and playing her life. That was enough for me to understand that I have actually played the character with true emotions because if I would have played it with even a single false note, she would have caught on.

The fact that she was moved and she watched it as an audience and kind of went through all the emotions that she must have felt in those two years of the torture that she went through, I think it was like a catharsis for her.

You have always excelled in playing intense and dramatic roles. But it is evident that this part pushed you much more emotionally than ever before. Would you agree?

Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway came to me at a time when I had just lost my second child. It was a time where I went through a deep sense of loss at the loss of my child. So the story of Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway really impacted me in a very different way. Not that I had to lose the baby to feel that emotion, but it just kind of happened at the same time. It was as if God kind of sent this film, this story as a support. I don’t know how things happen in life but it was so strangely timed. I got very absorbed with Devika’s character and playing her came very naturally to me.

You have always said how you love seeing your films release in theatres. Is that something that you will always hold on to, especially at a time when almost all your colleagues are also trying their hand, pretty successfully, at streaming....

I have always believed that I have to do a film that will release on the big screen only because that is where my place is. I feel that I was signed up for watching myself on 70mm. And as much as I can help it, I would always like to be watched on the big screen because that is where the magic of cinema is. That is where magic unfolds. When you go into a theatre, it is all dark and you are immersed in that whole experience of watching that film and watching that story and watching those characters come alive.

There is a very personal connection you have with the film, you know. Contrast to when you are sitting at home and watching something. It is quite disturbing because sometimes you are not alone. And there are a hundred things that you can be doing while you are watching a film in your house. But in a theatre, you have to follow certain etiquettes of watching the film and giving it that respect, so to speak.

But I am sure there must have been offers for you on digital, especially at a time when strong and diverse roles are being written for women....

Yes, but luckily I am getting to play all those kinds of roles on the big screen (smiles).

Apart from the success of Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, how do you look back at 2023?

I think 2023, for me, was all about how Shah Rukh Khan made a comeback with Pathaan. I think that was a game changer for the industry and for all of us. I am someone who has been a part of Shah Rukh’s family, I have been very close to him personally and professionally. So for me also, it was a learning experience to see somebody completely transform himself and remould himself and give the audience something that they had been waiting for. For me, 2023 would be the year of Pathaan.

And reinventing and remoulding yourself as a performer is something that you have always done, especially in the last few years....

That is what keeps me going as an actor. To portray different women, to portray different characters is what gives me a kick. And I know that my audience is always waiting for that, to always see me in a different avatar each time I come on screen. That is what has kept them engaged with me for so many years.

No other female actor in Bollywood has a successful franchise like Mardaani. What is the word on the third Mardaani film?

We are definitely hoping for it. But for every franchise to happen, there has to be a good script. I am waiting for a good script to come by.