Actress Rani Mukerji was honoured with the Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award at the 62nd Maharashtra State Film Awards, held on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at Ravindra Natya Mandir in Prabhadevi, Mumbai. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis presented the award in person, with Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar and several other dignitaries and members of the film fraternity in attendance.
The recognition carries particular weight for Mukerji, who was born and raised in Mumbai and has built her entire film career in the city. In her acceptance remarks, she reflected on what the city and state have meant to her personally and professionally, describing the award as a tribute to the place that gave her both an identity and an audience.
Quick Facts
- Award: Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award
- Occasion: 62nd Maharashtra State Film Awards
- Date: September 9, 2026
- Venue: Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi, Mumbai
- Presented by: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
- Also present: Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar
- Recipient: Rani Mukerji
- Award category: Special contribution to Hindi cinema (distinct from the separate, longer-running Raj Kapoor Award for lifetime achievement)
What the Award Recognises
The Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award is instituted by Maharashtra’s Department of Cultural Affairs and presented as part of the annual Maharashtra State Film Awards. It is a newer honour than the more established Raj Kapoor Award (a lifetime-achievement citation that dates back to 1998 and most recently went to screenwriter Salim Khan in 2025); the Special Contribution Award was created in 2008 and has previously gone to figures including Aamir Khan, and, in 2023, actress Kajol.
Because Maharashtra’s state film awards are frequently presented with a delay, the honour given to Mukerji at this September 2026 ceremony is understood to correspond to the award cycle for the previous year, recognising her body of work through films that expanded the range of women’s roles in mainstream Hindi cinema, including Hum Tum, Black, Hichki, the Mardaani franchise, and Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway.
🔸Distribution of '62nd Maharashtra State Marathi Film Awards Ceremony' at the hands of CM Devendra Fadnavis.
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) September 9, 2026
Various Award-winning dignitaries:
🏆 Rani Mukerji – Late Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award 2025
🏆 Prasad Oak – Chitrapati V. Shantaram Special Contribution Award… pic.twitter.com/slgdFwy1PX
Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award: Recent Recipients
| Year | Recipient | Recognised For |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Kajol | Emotionally driven performances across a body of work including Baazigar, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, and My Name Is Khan |
| 2024 (award presented 2026) | Rani Mukerji | Range of strong female characters across films such as Hum Tum, Black, Hichki, Mardaani, and Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway |
In Her Own Words
Accepting the award, Mukerji spoke about what it meant to be honoured by name-checking Raj Kapoor, calling it humbling to receive recognition tied to a figure she described as a legend of Indian cinema. She said the moment felt especially meaningful because it came from her own state and her own people.
She also spoke at length about her relationship with Mumbai itself, crediting the city with shaping her identity, giving her an audience, and building her career — describing it as far more than a place of work and, in her words, somewhere she has always considered home. Extending that thought to her craft, she said she has never treated acting as merely a job, calling cinema an emotion she associates deeply with Maharashtra.
Mukerji also touched on the kind of roles she has gravitated toward over her career, saying she has consistently tried to bring strong, layered women to the screen through stories she felt were made with sincerity. She used part of her acceptance to acknowledge the technicians, filmmakers, and generations of Maharashtra-based storytellers who she said made her own journey possible, dedicating the honour to them collectively rather than treating it as a purely individual achievement.
Why This Recognition Stands Out
The timing adds another layer to what has already been a notable year for Mukerji. She recently became only the second Indian film personality after Shah Rukh Khan to receive an honorary doctorate from Australia’s La Trobe University, and the Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award adds a home-state honour to that international recognition within the same stretch of the year.
For an actress whose career has unfolded almost entirely in Mumbai’s film industry, an award tied directly to Maharashtra’s own cultural establishment — and named after one of Hindi cinema’s most foundational figures — functions less as a career-capping trophy and more as a formal acknowledgment from the industry and state she has represented for nearly thirty years.
Frequently Asked Questions
She received the Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award at the 62nd Maharashtra State Film Awards ceremony on September 9, 2026, in Mumbai.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis presented it, with Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar also present at the ceremony held at Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi.
No. Maharashtra’s Department of Cultural Affairs runs two distinct honours: the Raj Kapoor Award, a lifetime-achievement citation dating to 1998 (Salim Khan was the 2025 recipient), and the Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award, created in 2008, which Mukerji received.
Actress Kajol received the Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award in 2023, recognised for her body of work in films such as Baazigar, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
She spoke about Mumbai giving her an identity, an audience, and a career, called cinema a deep personal emotion rather than just a profession, and dedicated the award to Maharashtra’s artists, technicians, and filmmakers.
Her citation points to a body of work that broadened female character portrayals in mainstream Hindi cinema, including Hum Tum, Black, Hichki, the Mardaani franchise, and Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway.
Yes — she recently became the second Indian film personality after Shah Rukh Khan to receive an honorary doctorate from La Trobe University in Australia.
Leave a Comment