Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 27 (ANI): Bollywood actor Rani Mukerji says that her National Award honour feels more special as she won it at the same time as her longtime friend and former co-star Shah Rukh Khan.

At the India Today Conclave Mumbai 2025 session titled the 'Queen of Reinvention: National Award to Motherhood, Winning it All' session, the actor said, 'The award means so much happiness for my fans, my well-wishers, my friends and my family. My single-minded focus has always been to work hard, do the best in my craft and not to disappoint my audience. It felt even more special as Shah Rukh and I won in the same year and at the same time.'

Rani went on to express her gratitude to filmmaker Karan Johar and said, 'I am eternally grateful to Karan for choosing me as his Tina. That is one character that has stuck with me in my career for three decades now. For people calling it a 'Rahul and Tina' thing after Shah Rukh and me won the award, it makes me think that they have loved the characters so much. It's very sweet.'

Rani essayed the character of Tina opposite Shah Rukh Khan's potrayal of Rahul in the 1998 romantic comedy directed by Karan Johar.

Rani Mukerji also spoke about her 2005 film 'Black', recalling how she expected an award back in the day.

'I gave all of mine to 'Black'. I was just 25 at the time. There was a chatter that I would win the National Award, and when I didn't win, that's when my blinkers came on. I was like 'Okay, even when you do your best work, it might not be in your favour. Keep working hard'. My father was very heartbroken that I didn't win that year, and so was Sanjay Leela Bhansali,' Rani shared.

Having said that, Rani Mukerji did not forget to dedicate her National Award win to her late father and filmmaker Ram Mukherjee.

'I'm truly overwhelmed to receive my first National Award in my 30-year journey as an actor. This honour means the world to me, and I want to dedicate it to my late father, who always dreamt of this moment for me. I miss him deeply today, and I know it's his blessing and my mother's constant strength and inspiration that guided me through the role of Mrs. Chatterjee,' said Rani Mukerji as quoted in a press note by YRF.

Rani Mukerji was honoured with the National Award for Best Actress for her performance in the legal drama 'Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway', which was released in the theatres in 2023. (ANI)