Rani Mukerji says strong female characters are not new; remembers legends like Nutan and Nargis Dutt

Bollywood star Rani Mukerji says Hindi cinema has always celebrated strong women on screen and credits legendary performers like Nutan and Nargis for setting that foundation decades ago.

It was during an exclusive session with IANS, that Rani engaged in an insightful talk with women officers of the Delhi Police.



Talking about the portrayal of strong women in Hindi cinema, Rani said: "I believe our industry has always had very strong characters. Nutan ji did films like Bandini, Nargis ji did Mother India. So strong female characters have always been portrayed in our industry."

Rani Mukeri on her career

Rani, who has completed three decades in Hindi cinema, added that in her current phase, she is consciously trying to carry forward the work left behind by her seniors.

"In my own way, in this phase of my career, I am trying to carry forward the work that our seniors left behind, so that in every decade, the women who do films and the stories we bring to the screen continue to remain strong," said the actress, whose latest release is "Mardaani 3".

Talking about her latest release, "Mardaani 3", the film is directed by Abhiraj Minawala and produced by Aditya Chopra. While Mardaani exposed the grim realities of human trafficking and Mardaani 2 explored the disturbing psyche of a serial rapist who challenged the system, Mardaani 3 delves into another dark and brutal reality of our society, further strengthening the franchise's legacy of impactful, issue-based storytelling.

Actress Janaki Bodiwala of Shaitaan fame also enters the Mardaani franchise to play a pivotal role. Mardaani 3 has been written by Aayush Gupta of The Railway Men fame. The first installment of the Mardaani franchise was released in 2014.

It featured Rani, Jisshu Sengupta, Tahir Raj Bhasin, and Anant Vidhaat Sharma in supporting roles. The second installment hit the screens in 2019. It was directed by Gopi Puthran. It also stars Vishal Jethwa.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”