Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji ( once transliterated
Rani Mukherjee, born
March 21,
1978), is an
Indian
actress who works in mainstream
Bollywood movies.
Main article: Mukherjee-Samarth Family
She comes from a film-clan family of
Bengali origin: Her father,
Ram Mukherjee is a retired director. Her mother
Krishna used to be a playback singer, while her brother
Raja Mukherjee is a film producer. Her maternal aunt is Debashree Roy. Famous bollywood actress
Kajol is her second cousin.
She began her film career with the Bengali film
Biyar Phool. However, she made her
Hindi debut in
Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat (1996). The film did not do well at the box office. Her next two releases
Ghulam and
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) were hits. For the latter she received her first
Filmfare Award as
Best Supporting Actress.
She appeared in a fair number of movies after her prompt fame, but most of them did average business. She then starred in
Saathiya (2002), directed by Shaad Ali. The film was critically and commercially successful.
In 2004, her subtle performances in
Hum Tum and
Yuva merited her to be the recipient of the
Filmfare Best Actress Award and the
Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award the next year.
Her performance as a human activist in
Veer-Zaara was praised and nominated.
In 2005, she starred in four big banner films.
She pulled off a hit with
Bunty Aur Babli and her performances in other films, particularly in
Black were generally appreciated.
Mukerji has been an active stage performer in various world tours.
Temptations 2004 was her most successful concert with
Shahrukh Khan,
Saif Ali Khan,
Preity Zinta,
Arjun Rampal and
Priyanka Chopra. Mukerji also appeared at the Closing Ceremony of the
2006 Commonwealth Games in
Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian culture, on behalf of the
2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in
New Delhi.
Besides acting in films, Mukerji also does many charity appearances for noble causes. Her most noteworthy show was
Temptations 2005 where she performed in New Delhi. The event provided the opportunity to raise funds for National Centre For Promotional of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), a leading disabled rights group. Shahrukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra were also amongst the many who contributed to this cause.
Mukerji celebrated her birthday in 2006, with the students of The Helen Keller Institute for the Deaf and Blind. She befriended the members of this Institute, when she was enacting her role of a blind and deaf girl in the movie
Black. She thanked the students of the institute claiming she would not have been able to enact her performance in
Black without them.
She has been closely associated with actors such as
Govinda ,
Aamir Khan,
Abhishek Bachchan and most recently, director
Aditya Chopra in love affairs.
Undeniably after some time, these link up have been regarded as rumours from both parties. Besides love affairs, she has been pitted against actress Preity Zinta over time and time again. Nonetheless, both actresses confirm a professional relationship between each other.
In 2006, the actress bought a new house for herself in
Juhu. The interiors were done by
Twinkle Khanna and it took an entire year to get ready.
Popular
* 1999,
Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award,
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai* 1999, Zee Cine Awards,
Lux Face of the Year,
Ghulam &
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai* 1999,
Zee Cine Award Best Actor in a Supporting Role- Female for
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai* 2003,
Star Screen Awards Special Jury Award,
Saathiya* 2003, Filmfare,
Critics Award Best Performance,
Saathiya* 2003, Sansui Awards
Best Performance of the Year,
Saathiya * 2003, Bollywood Awards
Most Sensational Actress,
Saathiya* 2003,
Rajiv Gandhi Award* 2004, BBC Film Cafe
Best Actress,
Chalte Chalte* 2005,
Filmfare Best Actress Award,
Hum Tum * 2005,
Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award,
Yuva * 2005,
Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female,
Hum Tum* 2005, 1st GIFA Awards
Best Actress,
Hum Tum* 2005,
Star Screen Award Best Actress,
Hum Tum* 2005,
Star Screen Award Best Supporting Actress,
Yuva* 2005, Cinegoers Awards
Best Actress,
Hum Tum* 2005, Cinegoers Awards
Best Actress in a Supporting Role,
Veer-Zaara* 2005,
IIFA Best Actress Award for
Hum Tum* 2005,
IIFA Best Supporting Actress Award for
Veer-Zaara* 2005, Bollywood Awards
Best Actress,
Hum Tum* 2005, Bollywood Awards
Best Actress in a Supporting Role,
Yuva* 2006, Rediff Movie Awards
Best Actress,
Black* 2006,
Star Screen Award Best Actress,
Black* 2006,
Stardust Star of the Year Award - Female,
Black* 2006,
Filmfare Best Actress Award,
Black* 2006,
Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance,
Black* 2006,
Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female,
Black* 2006, BBC Film Cafe
Best Actress,
Black* 2006,
IIFA Best Actress Award for
BlackShe is the first actor to ever win both the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress trophies in a single year (2005) at the Filmfare.
Filmfare Magazine, the most prestigious Bollywood journal, slotted her the number one position on the Top Ten Actresses' List for two consecutive years.
Other
* 2001, Aashirwaad Awards
Best Actress,
Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega* 2003, Anandolok Puroshkar Awards
Best Actress,
Saathiya* 2005, Sports World Awards
Best Actress,
Hum Tum* 2005, Sports World Awards
Best Actress in a Supporting Role,
Veer-Zaara* 2005, Sports World
Jodi of the Year (Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji) for
Hum Tum* 2005, Bollywood Fashion Awards,
Celebrity Style Female Award* 2005, Anandolok Puroshkar Awards
Best Actress,
Hum Tum* 2005, Lion Awards
Achievement in Cinema* 2006, 2nd Edition Pogo Voice Awards
Most Amazing Actress,
Bunty Aur Babli* 2006,
Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1 (
Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji) for
Bunty Aur Babli* 2006, 2nd Apsara Awards
Best Actress,
Black* 2006, Star's
Sabsey Favourite Heroine,
Black* 2006, Idea Zee
F Awards,
Celebrity Model of the YearHer two movies have been India's entry to the
Academy Awards.
Paheli was the official entry for the 2006
Oscars.
Hey Ram (2000) was an earlier entry. (See
India's official entry).
Black,
Paheli, and
Veer-Zaara were all part of the final process of nomination selection for the 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards amongst 60 foreign films in 2006.
* In February 2006,
Filmfare Magazine published her face among the "Ten Most Powerful Names of Bollywood". She was ranked eighth on the Power List retaining her name for the second year running, as the only female on the male-dominated list.
* She is rumored to be one of the highest paid actresses in the industry.
* Mukerji was honored by an audience of 50,000 at the
Casablanca Film Festival (2005) in
Morocco where her selected four movies were presented to the foreign masses of people.
* For her one-and-a-half-minute dance performance alongside
Saif Ali Khan at the Closing Ceremony of the
2006 Commonwealth Games, she was reportedly paid 1.5 crore rupees, the equivalent of about 300,000 U.S. dollars.
* Her favourite Actress
Sridevi.
* She changed the English transliteration of her surname from Mukherjee to Mukerji several years ago. At the time, it was reported that she did this for numerological reasons. Recently, she has claimed that numerology was not a concern; her name had been put down as Mukerji on her passport, and she wished to harmonize her name and her passport.
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|
| 2008 | The Mahabharata | Draupadi | |
| 2007 | Tara Rum Pam Pam | | Filming |
| 2007 | Saawariya | | Filming |
| 2007 | Sholay | Basanti | Filming |
| 2006 | Baabul | Milli | Post-production |
| 2006 | Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna | Maya Talwar |
| 2005 | The Rising | Heera |
| 2005 | Paheli | Lachchi | India's official entry to the Oscars |
| 2005 | Bunty Aur Babli | Vimmi Saluja (Babli) | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award |
| 2005 | Black | Michelle McNally | Double-Winner, Filmfare Best Actress Award & Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance |
| 2004 | Veer-Zaara | Saamiya Siddiqui | Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award |
| 2004 | Hum Tum | Rhea Prakash | Winner, Filmfare Best Actress Award |
| 2004 | Yuva | Sashi Biswas | Winner, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award |
| 2003 | LOC Kargil | Hema |
| 2003 | Kal Ho Naa Ho | | Special Appearance (song) |
| 2003 | Calcutta Mail | Bulbul/Reema |
| 2003 | Chori Chori | Khushi |
| 2003 | Chalte Chalte | Priya Chopra | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award |
| 2002 | Chalo Ishq Ladaaye | Sapna |
| 2002 | Saathiya | Dr. Suhani Sharma | Winner, Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance & Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award |
| 2002 | Mujhse Dosti Karoge! | Pooja Sahani |
| 2002 | Pyaar Diwana Hota Hai | Payal Khurana |
| 2001 | Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham | Naina | Cameo |
| 2001 | Nayak: The Real Hero | Manjari |
| 2001 | Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai | Pooja Shrivastav |
| 2001 | Chori Chori Chupke Chupke | Priya Malhotra |
| 2000 | Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye | Priya Sharma |
| 2000 | Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega | Pooja Oberoi | Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award |
| 2000 | Bichhoo | Kiran Bali |
| 2000 | Hadh Kar Di Aapne | Anjali Khanna |
| 2000 | Hey Ram | Aparna Ram | India's official entry to the Oscars |
| 2000 | Badal | Rani |
| 1999 | Hello Brother | Rani |
| 1999 | Mann | | Special Appearance (song) |
| 1998 | Mehndi | Pooja | |
| 1998 | Kuch Kuch Hota Hai | Tina Malhotra | Winner, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award |
| 1998 | Ghulam | Alisha | |
| 1996 | Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat | Mala |
Television appearances
*
The Manish Malhotra Show -
2005–
2006 (appeared
2005)
*
Koffee with Karan -
2004–
2005 (appeared
February 9,
2005, in
Episode #1.2 only)
*
Jai Jawan (appeared
March 5,
2004, in
Rani Mukerji's day out with jawans only)
*
Tinseltown TV (interviewed
28 February,
2004)
*
Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai -
2001–
2003 (appeared
2001)
*
Kaun Banega Crorepati -
2000–
2001 (appeared
December 31,
2000,
New Year Special)
*
List of Indian movie actresses *
Filmfare's List of Top Ten ActressesFootnotes
Press coverage
* Jha, Subhash.
"Rani Mukerji: Post-Saathiya", "IndiaFM" interview.
March 2,
2005. Retrieved
May 10,
2006.
* Somaaya, Bhawana.
"Everyone wants Rani Mukerji", "IndiaFM" interview.
June 24,
2005. Retrieved
June 10,
2006.
