Rani Mukerji's stellar performance in the 2005 film Black is still remembered and lauded today, yet the actress revealed the deep disappointment her parents felt when she did not win the National Award for her portrayal of Michelle McNally, a young woman who is deaf, mute, and blind.

The Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial, inspired by the life of Helen Keller, was a critical and commercial success. The film revolves around Michelle's journey and her relationship with her teacher Debraj, played by Amitabh Bachchan, who later develops Alzheimer's disease. While Black bagged several National Awards, including Best Feature Film in Hindi and Best Actor for Amitabh Bachchan, Mukerji's omission in the Best Actress category was a painful one for her family.

Speaking at a recent event in Mumbai celebrating her 30 years in the film industry, Mukerji shared her sentiments with filmmaker Karan Johar. She expressed how much it upset her to not win the National Award for Black, especially given how it affected her parents. "It broke my father's heart, it broke my mum's heart," she said. Mukerji emphasized that her initial motivation as an actress was to provide a better life for her parents and ensure their happiness and comfort.

Mukerji revealed that she realized the impact of her work through fan mail, which made her understand the responsibility she had to choose meaningful roles and deliver her best performances. Despite not winning the National Award for Black, Mukerji received significant recognition for her performance, including Best Actress and Best Actress (Critics) awards at Filmfare.

Rani Mukerji recently received her first National Award for Best Actress for her role in the 2023 film Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway. In an interview, her mother expressed that while she was happy about the recent win, she always felt that Rani should have won the award much earlier, particularly for her role in Black.

Black was released on February 4, 2005, and grossed ₹666 million (US$15.1 million), becoming the eighth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. The film won all eleven of its nominations at the 51st Filmfare Awards, making it the most-awarded film in the ceremony's history at that time. The film also starred Ayesha Kapur, Shernaz Patel, and Dhritiman Chatterjee in supporting roles. Monty Sharma composed the music and background score.