Tribute : Rani Mukerji: A Pathbreaking Portrayal of Women Who Prioritize Sexual Agency
Rani Mukerji has always been versatile and courageous. While much has been said about her performances and acting craft, equally revolutionary is her portrayal of female characters who openly and unapologetically prioritize their sexual needs. At a time when Bollywood often skirts around female desire or buries it under the weight of tradition and sacrifice, Rani has consistently chosen roles that bring sexual agency to the forefront. Her characters have not only expressed desire but have also acted upon it, even when it meant breaking social norms, marital vows, or moral expectations.
In Paheli (2005), Rani plays Lachchi, a young bride abandoned by her husband on the very day of their marriage. What follows is no ordinary love story—her lover is a ghost who assumes her husband's form. Yet, Lachchi knowingly chooses this spirit over her real husband because he gives her what the husband does not: love, attention, and sexual consummation. This decision is not framed as infidelity or naivety but as a radical act of a woman claiming her right to passion. In choosing the ghost, Rani’s character not only honors her emotional and sexual self but also subverts the traditional image of the ever-sacrificing, passive wife.
In Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), Rani once again plays a woman in a deeply unfulfilling marriage. Maya is married to Rishi (Abhishek Bachchan), a man who loves her deeply, but she feels no sexual or emotional connection to him. Rather than continuing the farce of a “perfect” marriage, Maya steps outside its boundaries and finds intimacy with Dev (Shah Rukh Khan), a man equally disillusioned with his marital life. Her decision to follow her heart—and body—is seen by many as controversial, but it is deeply human. Rani portrays Maya with such vulnerability and strength that the audience is forced to confront the reality that love without desire, and marriage without intimacy, is a cage.
Even in Black (2005), where Rani plays Michelle, a deaf-blind woman, the theme of sexuality is delicately yet powerfully addressed. Michelle, though differently-abled, expresses her desire to understand and experience physical intimacy. In one unforgettable moment, she tries to kiss her teacher (Amitabh Bachchan), in a gesture that is less about romance and more about awakening. It’s a subtle but profound moment: a disabled woman demanding recognition not just for her mind and spirit, but also for her body.
In Aiyyaa (2012), Rani fully embraces desire in all its sensory glory. Her character, Meenakshi, is driven by the smell of a man she finds intoxicating. What follows is a whimsical, uninhibited chase, where she throws aside societal expectations and arranged marriage to pursue a man she is erotically drawn to. The film may be surreal and stylized, but Meenakshi’s agency is real, vivid, and rare. She is not waiting to be chosen—she is doing the choosing, led unapologetically by her senses and desire.
Finally, in Bombay Talkies (2013), in the short directed by Karan Johar, Rani plays a wife who discovers that her husband is gay. Her frustration is not born of betrayal alone but from years of sexual neglect and emotional dishonesty. She confronts her reality head-on and chooses to walk out of the marriage, claiming her right to love, to touch, to be touched. This is not framed as a woman scorned but as a woman awakened.
Across these films, Rani Mukerji has portrayed a range of women—rural and urban, disabled and able-bodied, conventional and eccentric—but what ties them together is their refusal to suppress their sexual selves. These are not women content with dutiful silence or reluctant compromise. They want more. They need more. And they pursue it—not recklessly, but with a clarity that challenges society’s discomfort with female desire.
In a culture that often reduces women’s sexuality to either purity or promiscuity, Rani Mukerji has carved out a third, richer space. Her characters are complex, moral, flawed, and deeply human. They make mistakes, but they do not apologize for wanting passion, intimacy, and connection. And in doing so, Rani has not just played roles—she has made a statement. A quiet, powerful, and necessary one.
Itti Si Khushi Sab TV
Cricket
Bigg Boss 19
32