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Rani proudly salutes the Indian flag in Melbourne
Rani Mukerji, who was in Melbourne, Australia, over the weekend, was in the city to attend the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), where she received the Best Actress award for Hichki. While she admits that getting an award in a foreign country is always special, the fact that this is her first award after becoming a mother makes it all the more appealing, says Rani.
“For me, Hichki is a film that’s important for Indian cinema and for everybody, because it raises awareness on Tourette’s Syndrome, which many people aren’t aware of,” says Rani. “The film raised that awareness and furthered the cause. This only reinforces the fact that cinema is a universal language and it doesn’t have any boundaries. It transcends borders. It proves that we are now a part of global cinema, where people watch a movie irrespective of what the language is. Also, to receive an award far away from home and this being my first award for Hichki and the first award after becoming a mother — there are many firsts attached to it and that makes it extremely special,” adds the actor.
As the chief guest at the event, Rani was invited to hoist the Indian flag at the Federation Square. Talking about this honour, she says, “I’ve always looked at my body of work in the context of the love I’ve received from the audience. Today, the fact that I hoisted an Indian flag, so many miles away from India, is only because my fans have given me this opportunity.”
Sounding moved, the actor says, “I felt so much pride hoisting our flag and singing the Indian National Anthem in Melbourne. It felt surreal. When you leave your country and go to a foreign land, you immediately start missing it.”
Accompanying her on this trip was her two-year-old daughter, Adira, and though Rani loves being in front of the camera, playing the role of a real-life mother is what she enjoys the most. “I took her to see penguins, kangaroos, koala bears, etc. When you become a mother, every place you go to, you see the place from a mother’s point of view. This is the first time she went on a roller-coaster — and she is quite the daredevil, as she asked to go again,” says Rani, amused by her brave toddler.
She adds, “There’s also this trampoline park where you can just go bounce, so I was bouncing with her for one hour. When I’m with her, all my work is secondary, and I’m just hounding people to tell me about places I can take her to. This is one of those trips that I’ll always remember.”