Bollywood star Rani Mukerji was honoured at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) with a special citation for ‘excellence in acting’. The honour celebrates her three-decades-long contribution to Indian cinema that has made an impact around the world.Accepting the honour, Rani reflected on her time in the film industry and revealed that her greatest reward is the enduring audience connect that “travels across borders and still finds a place in people’s lives.”She said in a statement, “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.”Mukerji also described cinema as a bridge between cultures that brings audiences from different backgrounds together. She said, “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.”Speaking about the craft of acting and filmmaking and its impact on the audience, 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.”Also reflecting on the characters she played over the years, she added, “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.”On the work front, Rani will next be seen on the big screen in the upcoming action-thriller ‘King’, directed by Siddharth Anand, which features an ensemble cast including Shah Rukh Khan and Suhana Khan in lead roles. The film marks the actress’ reunion with SRK, however, her role in the project is still under wraps. The film features an ensemble cast including Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Abhay Verma, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Jaideep Ahlawat and Arshad Warsi, among others.