Rani Mukerji PROFILE
This Bengali beauty made her debut with a powerful performance in the unexpected hit '
Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat' (1997) and since then there has been no looking back. From the mascot of women's voice for justice she went on to become
Aamir Khan's 'aati kya Khandala' girlin '
Ghulam'. As the glamorous London returned Tina in '
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', Mukerji managed to hold her own against Bollywood biggies, Shah Rukh and
Kajol and even won her first Filmfare award in the 'Best Supporting' Actress category. Her next few films ('Mehndi', '
Badal', '
Hadh Kar Di Aapne' and '
Chori Chori Chupke Chupke' to name a few) didn't manage to rake in the moolah, but Rani was slowly climbing up the B'Town ladder. Her role as the village belle in '
Nayak: The Real Hero' was appreciated and she even had a cameo opposite
Shah Rukh Khan in '
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'.
In 2002, she had her first collaboration with Yash Raj Films, a production house she would become synonymous with in years to come. Though
Kunal Kohli's '
Mujhse Dosti Karoge!' wasn't a high grosser in India, it did good business overseas.
That same year, Rani's career graph reached an all time high with the release of
Shaad Ali's '
Saathiya'. A remake of the hit Tamil flick, 'Alaypayuthe', 'Saathiya' saw Rani essaying the role of a middle class medical student Suhani who gets married to
Vivek Oberoi's Aditya against her parents' wishes. Critics sat up and took notice, audiences loved the chemistry between the leads, the film gained commercial success and various awards followed.
Her second nomination for the Filmfare 'Best Actress' award came just the year after, for
Aziz Mirza's '
Chalte Chalte'. Much media hoopla had ensued when Mukerji replaced
Aishwariya Rai after Ash's then boyfriend,
Salman Khan, disrupted the shooting of Shah Rukh Khan's home production. '
Chalte Chalte' was just the first in a long string of blockbusters that made Mukerji a bankable name at the box office. Rani was third time lucky when she finally won the Filmfare 'Best Actress' award for her role as Rhea Sharma in Kunal Kohli's rom com '
Hum Tum' .Character backed roles soon became her trademark, especially after the release of
Mani Ratnams '
Yuva' and
Yash Chopra's cross border love saga '
Veer Zaara'.
Rani bagged a double whammy with
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's '
Black ' in 2005, when she won both the Filmfare 'Best Actress' award as well as the 'Critic's Award for Best Performance.' Her sensitive portrayal of the deaf blind Michelle McNally was hailed as her best performance till date and established Rani's position as the queen of Bollywood. It was around the same time that her on screen pairing with
Abhishek Bachchan clicked. Though the celluloid couple had previously been seen in
Goldie Behl's '
Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai' (2001), their portrayal of a middle class Bengali couple in '
Yuva' and a con team on the run in '
Bunty aur Babli' created a special place in the audiences' hearts for this duo.
Her other releases in 2005 were
Amol Palekar's rustic Rajasthani ghost romance '
Paheli' opposite Shah Rukh Khan and
Ketan Mehta's '
MangalPandey: The Rising' where she plays the quintessential prostitute with a heart of gold.
Karan Johar's multi starrer, extra marital drama '
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna' was met with mixed responses, but Rani's performance as the unhappily married and utterly confused Maya Talwar received much critical acclaim. Though many of her subsequent movies were with the prestigious banner of Yash Raj Films, they failed to set the cash registers ringing. '
TaRa RumPum'(2007), '
Laaga Chunari Mein Daag'(2007), '
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic'(2008) and '
Dil Bole Hadippa!'(2009), all tanked at the box office.
Rani's first film of 2011,'
No One Killed Jessica,' was also her premier box office hit in almost four years. Her electrifying performance as the gritty TV journalist, Meera Gaity, guaranteed both commercial and critical victory.
In 2013, she played one of the leads in Karan Johar's segment in the film,
Bombay Talkies. Her next film,
Mardaani has also been announced recently.