Rani Mukerji has shared her thoughts on the Hindi film industry and the changing power dynamics, as recently suggested by musician AR Rahman. The Oscar-winning composer sparked a debate after hinting at the presence of communal bias in the industry. However, Rani Mukerji, who has been a part of the film industry for nearly 30 years, strongly disagreed with the claim.
Rani Mukerji says Bollywood is secular
In a new interview with DD News, the actress, who is currently promoting her film Mardaani 3, said that she has never experienced any form of discrimination. “Bollywood is the most secular place, and I truly believe that. There is no discrimination based on caste or religion. In my 30 years in the industry, I have never experienced anything like this. I love this industry—it made me who I am today,” she said.
Rani further stated that the industry functions on merit and remains an inclusive space. “I’m saying this from the bottom of my heart—here, merit matters. Your work speaks for you, and ultimately, the person the audience connects with is the one who survives and succeeds. For me, Bollywood remains the most secular and one of the most amazing places to be,” she added.
What did Rahman say?
For the uninitiated, during a recent interaction with BBC Asian Network, Rahman had spoken about getting limited work offers in Bollywood.
He said, “People who are not creative have the power now to decide things, and this might have been a communal thing also, but not in my face. It comes to me as Chinese whispers that they booked you, but the music company went ahead and hired their five composers. I said, `Oh, that`s great, rest for me, I can chill out with my family.”
The music composer had faced a lot of backlash for his remark on `communal` bias in the Hindi film industry. Post criticism, the music composer apologised through a video on his social media account.
About Mardaani 3
Talking about her latest release, Mardaani 3 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, the third installment delves into another dark and brutal social reality, further strengthening the franchise’s legacy of impactful, issue-driven storytelling.
Actress Janaki Bodiwala, known for Shaitaan, joins the Mardaani franchise in a pivotal role. The film has been written by The Railway Men writer Aayush Gupta and is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on January 30.
The first Mardaani film was released in 2014 and starred Rani Mukerji alongside Jisshu Sengupta, Tahir Raj Bhasin, and Anant Vidhaat Sharma. The sequel, released in 2019, was directed by Gopi Puthran and featured Vishal Jethwa.
