Acting career
Prior work and breakthrough, 1996-2002
After doing a short cameo appearance for the first time in her father's Bengali film Biyer Phool (1992), Mukerji made her acting debut four years later, as the protagonist of Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat (1996). Her performance as a rape victim in the film was well received, but when the film failed at the box office, she returned to college to complete her education.
Mukerji returned to films in 1998. Her first release that year was Ghulam, opposite Aamir Khan; the film did well at the box office. The song Aati Kya Khandala made Mukerji popular among the masses, earning her the nickname of Khandala Girl. Karan Johar's directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, co-starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, followed for her that year. The movie was a blockbuster, and she received her first Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actress category.
She followed her career by signing on several projects. Unfortunately, most of them did not do well at the box office. Although Badal was one of the highest grossing films of 2000, she still didn't succeed to establish her status in the industry at that point of time.
In 2001, Mukerji starred in Abbas Mustan's romantic drama Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, co-starring Salman Khan and Preity Zinta. The film was released after a one-year delay, and was one of the first Bollywood movies to handle the issue of surrogate childbirth. Mukerji's role was that of Priya Malhotra, a woman who is unable to conceive after a miscarriage, thus hires a surrogate mother. Rediff.com wrote, "Rani Mukherji is handicapped with a role that doesn't give her much scope besides weeping and sobbing. To her credit, she manages to hold her own even while playing a stereotypical sacrificingbhartiya nari."
In 2002, Mukerji played the lead role in Kunal Kohli's romance Mujhse Dosti Karoge!, co-starring alongside Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor. Although the movie did not do well in India, it generated great business overseas, and marked her entry into India's biggest production house: Yash Raj Films. Later that year, Mukerji starred in Shaad Ali's critically acclaimed Saathiya opposite Vivek Oberoi. Essaying the role of Suhani Sharma, a medical student who deals with the tensions and discontent of being married at a young age, she won a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, and among several other nominations, received her first Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare. Manish Gajjar from BBC noted, "...Rani Mukerjee...plays the character of a middle class girl with great conviction."
Success, 2003-06
Mukerji's first 2003 release was Aziz Mirza's drama Chalte Chalte opposite Shahrukh Khan. The film saw her play a similar role to that of Saathiya, and she received her second nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award. Among another three releases that year, Mukerji starred in Chori Chori, where she portrayed her first comic role. Although the film did not do well at the box office, Mukerji's comic timing was praised.
In 2004, her performance as a Bengali housewife in Mani Ratnam's Yuva won Mukerji her secondFilmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. Though the film failed to do well, her performance was critically acclaimed with one critic writing, "the role demanded an actress of substance and Rani more than lives up to the expectations". She followed through by playing the leading role in the romantic comedy Hum Tum, which became one of the biggest hits of the year. The film, based on the 1989 film When Harry Met Sally..., was directed by Kunal Kohli. Mukerji's portrayal of Rhea Sharma, a woman of today's generation, won her several awards, including her first Filmfare Best Actress Award. BBCwrote about her performance:
| “ | Rani is fast becoming one of the more dependable and versatile actresses of her generation. | ” |
Her last release of the year was Yash Chopra's love saga Veer-Zaara, co-starring alongside Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta. The film, which emerged as the top grossing movie of the year in India and abroad, tells the love story of an Indian officer, Veer Pratap Singh, played by Khan, and a Pakistani woman, Zaara, played by Zinta. Mukerji played the supporting role of Saamiya Siddiqui, a Pakistani lawyer who takes it upon herself to find the truth about Veer Pratap Singh.
In 2005, Mukerji starred in four high-profile films: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black, Shaad Ali's Bunty Aur Babli, Amol Palekar's Paheli and Ketan Mehta's The Rising. She was primarily noted for her performance in Black. When Bhansali first came to Mukerji with the offer, she turned it down and stated that she was not confident enough to play a deaf-blind girl. Once the director put faith in her, she agreed to do it and intensely studied sign language with professionals at the Helen Keller Institute in Mumbai. Mukerji received much critical acclaim for her performance and collected numerous trophies in the category of Best Actress at various award ceremonies. IndiaFM noted, "There's no denying that Rani delivers her best performance to date. With no dialogues in her lap, the actress conveys through expressions solely and what a terrific impact she makes. Here's a performance that should act as a reference guide for all aspiring actors". Her next release, Bunty Aur Babli, surfaced as one of the biggest hits of the year. The film, though successful at the box office, opened to mixed reviews, and so did Mukerji's performance, with one critic writing, "Rani has done a great job most of the time, though she does tend to go a little over the top in the crying scenes. Nevertheless, Mukerji received Best Actress nominations from the IIFA Awards and Filmfare Awards.
Mukerji was offered the lead role in Mira Nair's Hollywood film, The Namesake (2007) but owing to clashing dates with Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, she could not commit to the project. Her first release in 2006 was Karan Johar's drama Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, which consisted of a multi-starrer that included Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Kirron Kher. The film opened to mixed reviews but emerged as the most successful movie ever overseas. The film tells the story of two unhappily married couples in New York, which results in an extramarital affair. Mukerji played the role of Maya Talwar, a woman layered with self-doubt and question about the relationship between her and her husband, played by Abhishek Bachchan; her performance was well received. Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN concluded, "Rani looks a million bucks and she dives under the skin of her character to make that part one that we will remember for a long time." She received several nominations for Best Actress, and won her third IIFA Best Actress Award for the third consecutive year. Mukerji's next release was B.R. Chopra's Baabul. The movie did not do well at the box office in India, though proved to be a hit overseas. Her role as a widow met with mixed reviews.
Recent work, 2007-Present
Mukerji's first 2007 release, Ta Ra Rum Pum, where she played a pianist turned housewife and a mother for the first time on celluloid, was a semi-hit. Her performance was generally well received, with one critic noting, "Rani enacts the role of the mother/wife proficiently." Her last two releases of the year,Pradeep Sarkar's drama Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya, were critical and commercial failures in India.
Mukerji's most recent release was Kunal Kohli's Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, which released on June 27, 2008. Despite receiving positive reviews from critics, the film failed to do well at the box office.
In the media
Rani Mukerji was on the top slot of Filmfare's 'Top Ten Bollywood Actresses' list for two years in a row (2004-2005). She was also placed number one on Rediff's 'Top Bollywood Female Stars' Rankings for three consecutive years (2004-2006), while in 2007, she was ranked at number five.
In February 2006, Filmfare Magazine placed her eighth amongst the "Ten Most Powerful Names of Bollywood", an achievement she repeated from the previous year, where she was ranked at number ten as the only woman on the list. In 2007, she was ranked higher at number five.
On Women's International Day 2007, Mukerji came in the fourth position on the All-Time Best Bollywood Actresses Ever Listing.
She was placed at number #36 by UK magazine Eastern Eye as one of "Asia's Sexiest Women" (Sept/2006). Mukerji is frequently featured in various lists by Rediff.com, among them, Bollywood's Most Beautiful Actresses, Bollywood's Best Dressed Women and Women of Many Faces.
Mukerji has made three appearances in Karan Johar's talk show Koffee with Karan. She appeared with Kareena Kapoor, Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, and Madhuri Dixit as a surprise guest. Recently, she made her first appearance on a reality show, along with its contestants on Star Voice of India. The finalists performed to a medley of famous songs from her films.
