Bollywood superstar Rani Mukerji recently opened up about her miscarriage, which occurred five months into her pregnancy, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The actress shared this deeply personal experience for the first time at the International Film Festival of Melbourne, where she was honored for her performance in the emotionally-charged movie, ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’.
Mukerji explained that she had chosen not to discuss her loss during the film’s promotion earlier in the year, as she did not want it to seem like she was using her personal experience to promote the movie. However, she felt it was important to share her story now, as it is common for every aspect of a celebrity’s life to become public fodder.
The actress revealed, “It was around the year when COVID-19 struck. It was 2020. I got pregnant with my second baby at the end of 2020, and unfortunately, I lost my baby five months into my pregnancy.”
Mukerji shared that shortly after her miscarriage, filmmaker Nikkhil Advani approached her with the story of ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’. She felt an immediate connection to the role, not because she needed to experience the loss of a child to understand the emotion, but because it came at the right time when she was personally going through a similar situation.
Interestingly, the actress mentioned that the makers of the film were unaware of her loss and will be surprised when they learn about it through her statement.
‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’ is inspired by real events and follows the story of Debika Chatterjee, whose two children were taken away by Norwegian child welfare services.
On a personal note, Mukerji married acclaimed filmmaker Aditya Chopra in 2014, and the couple welcomed their first and only child, daughter Adira, the following year.