Rani honoured at IFFM

Bollywood actress gets special citation for excellence in acting 

Rani Mukerji has been honoured at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) with a special citation recognising her excellence in acting, underscoring three decades of work that has travelled across borders and connected with international audiences.

Mukerji reflected on three decades of work and the international journey of Indian cinema, saying her greatest reward is the enduring audience connect that “travels across borders and still finds a place in people’s lives.” 

 “When I entered the Indian film industry as a young girl, I never imagined that one day my films and the characters that I have been fortunate enough to play, would take me across oceans… and that people in a beautiful country like Australia would embrace me with so much warmth,” she said.   

She added: “Australia has always welcomed me and Indian cinema with open arms. It has become a place where cultures meet through storytelling, where films remind us that emotions don’t need passports and where love, laughter and hope speak a language we all understand.”   

On the craft and its impact, Mukerji noted: “As actors, we perform in front of a camera. But the real story begins only when that performance reaches someone’s heart. To know that for three decades my films, my characters and my voice have travelled so far from home and still found a place in your lives is incredibly humbling.”   

She credited the women she has portrayed for shaping her off-screen. “I’ve been fortunate to play women who laughed loudly, loved deeply, fought fearlessly and never stopped believing in themselves. In many ways, every character has changed me a little. They’ve made me a better actor, but more importantly, they’ve made me a better human being,” Mukerji concluded.

After SRK, Rani receives La Trobe Honorary Doctorate

Rani Mukerji was conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Letters by La Trobe University at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2026 on August 14, in recognition of her three-decade contribution to Indian cinema and her work beyond the screen. She has become the second Indian celeb to bag this honour. The first was Shah Rukh Khan in August 2019. The honorary degree was presented to Mukerji during a special ceremony at The Edge in Melbourne.

Speaking about the honour, Mukerji said, “Thank you, La Trobe University, for embracing not just an actor from India, but the power of Indian cinema itself. When I entered the film industry as a teenager, I had no roadmap! I was simply trying to do my job in the best way possible. I wasn’t trying to make history or become a symbol. For me, cinema is the language through which we understand people, celebrate them, and root for those who inspire us.”