Rani Mukerji credits new directors for empowering her and shaping her career

In a recent interview, Rani Mukerji said that she credits new directors for her powerful performances and to shape her career, empower her to have the love she has received in her journey in cinema.

"If you look at the list of new directors that I have collaborated with, you will see how they have contributed in shaping my career, my craft and empowered me to get the love that I have got all through my journey in cinema," Mukerji said.

"I have always been excited by new directors because I have believed that they are always hungrier to disrupt and I love disruption. It is definitely the reason why I have worked with so many new or first time directors and I consider myself to be fortunate to have found them and exchanged creative energies with them," she said.

Speaking of first time directors, the actress also spoke about her collaboration with Karan Johar in the initial stage of her career,"My collaboration with first-time directors started since the beginning of my career with Karan Johar on Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) who gave the youth of the country relevancy at that time. It was amazing to creatively collaborate with him because he had such an amazing story to tell and how masterfully he made KKHH."

She further added, "I have worked with Shaad Ali on his first film Saathiya (2002) and he too gave me a gem of a film that I'm proud of in my filmography! Gopi Puthran is another outstanding director who directed the second instalment of Mardaani (2014)! He has created a fiercely independent and courageous woman on screen and I respect him for doing so because cinema can do a lot to represent women well!"

"From stalwarts like Pradeep Sarkar, who directed me in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag (2007), to visionaries like Kamal Hassan sir with whom I collaborated for Hey Ram (2000), or forward-thinking minds like Siddharth Anand in Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007) or Raj Kumar Gupta in No One Killed Jessica (2011) or Reema Kagti in Talaash (2012), the sensitive storytellers like Siddharth P. Malhotra in Hichki (2018) and Ashima Chibber in Mrs. Chatterjee VS Norway, working with all these people expanded my horizon as an actor," she said.

"Each of these films shaped me into the actor that I’m today and I know I gave all my heart to these roles too! I’m constantly looking for a challenge and new minds pose that in front of me which is why I love to work with them. I love how subversive new minds can be. They fuel me with an infectious energy that I thrive on set. I will always look to unite with such talents in the years to come."

On the work front, she was last seen in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway.