Rani mukharji Biography

Rani Mukerji was born Rani on 21 March 1978 and is an Indian film actress.. Born to the illustrious Mukherjee-Samarth family, Mukerji never harbored any ambitions to become an actress, but eventually joined films on the insistence of her parents. She made her acting debut with Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat (1997), and subsequently had her first, and still biggest commercial success with Karan Johar’s romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), which won her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. She later starred in several films that fared below expectations, but in 2002 she tasted success with the critically acclaimed drama Saathiya, for which she received numerous awards and nominations, including her first Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.

In 2004, her performances in the hit romantic comedy Hum Tum and the critically acclaimed Yuva earned her the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards, respectively at the 50th Filmfare Awards, making her the first actress to win two major awards in the same year. She later received unanimous praise for her portrayal of a blind, deaf and mute woman in Black (2005), for which she garnered numerous awards, including two more Filmfare Awards: Best Actress and Best Actress – Critics.She went on to play leading roles in the comedy Bunty Aur Babli (2005) and the adult drama Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), both of which emerged as major commercial successes in India as well as overseas. Mukerji thus established herself as a leading actress of Hindi cinema. She then featured in a series of commercially unsuccessful films, mostly under the Yash Raj Films banner, before re-inventing herself with Raj Kumar Gupta’s semi-biographic thriller No One Killed Jessica (2011). In the course of her career, she has received seven Filmfare Awards, among thirteen nominations.

In addition to acting in films, Mukerji has featured as a talent judge for Sony Entertainment Television’s reality show Dance Premier League. Despite constant speculation, she remains guarded about her personal life and has consequently been termed a recluse by certain sections of the media. Mukerji currently lives in Juhu with her parents.

Involved with several social causes, Mukerji remarked,

It’s my dream too that every child in India is educated because the way India is growing I don’t think without education, we can see a very bright future. So if we want a bright future for our country, I think education is foremost.

In March 2004, Mukerji visited the sandy dunes of Rajasthan where she spent a day at the army training base to boost the morale of the jawan troops. The visit was conducted for a NDTV show, Jai Jawan, on which entertainers and actors visit Indian troops. In February 2005, Mukerji performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake alongside several other Bollywood stars.

In March 2006, Mukerji bonded again with the physically challenged children of the Helen Keller Institute as they organised a birthday party for her. She had previously worked with these children while researching for her role in Black.

Among her stage performances, Mukerji has participated in two world tours. Her first, Magnificent Five was in the year 1999 with actors Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Akshaye Khanna and Twinkle Khanna.

Five years later, Temptations 2004 came along. Mukerji performed alongside Shahrukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra in nineteen stage shows across the globe.Mukerji was also part of the Temptations 2005 show in New Delhi. The actress helped to raise funds for the National Centre For Promotional of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), a leading disabled rights’ group, with the show which also featured Shah Rukh Khan, Fardeen Khan, Ameesha Patel and Malaika Arora Khan.In 2010, Mukerji joined Shahrukh Khan, Arjun Rampal, Ishaa Koppikar, among others for a concert at the Army Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh to a packed audience.

Biography Of Rani Mukharji

Rani Mukharji 

Rani Mukherjee is one of the top actresses of the Bollywood industry who is well known for acting talent. She is well known as the real queen of Bollywood. Rani Mukherjee is a Bengali girl born on March 21, 1978 in Kolkatta, West Bengal. Making her acting debut in the year of 1996 with Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, Rani had her first commercial success with Karan Johar's 1998 romantic movie 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'. For this movie she won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. In 2004, Rani Performances in the hit 'Hum Tum' and the critically acclaimed 'Yuva' earned her the Best Actress and the Best Supporting Actress awards at the Filmfare. Rani Mukherjee is the only actress to win two major Filmfare awards in the same year. Rani received unanimous praise for her role as a deaf and blind girl in the 2005 film Black, as well as many awards for her performance, establishing herself as a leading actress in Bollywood.

Rani Mukherjee DOB : 21st Mar, 1978
Rani Mukherjee Birth Place : Mumbai
Rani Mukherjee mother name : Krishna Mukherjee
Rani Mukherjee father name : Ram Mukherjee
Rani Mukherjee mother tongue : Bengali
Rani Mukherjee Siblings : Raju Mukherjee
Rani Mukherjee cousin : Kajol
Rani Mukherjee High School : Finished High School from Maneckji Cooper High School in Juhu.
Rani Mukherjee Graduation : Bachelor Degree in HOme Science from SNDT Women's University.
Rani Mukherjee Debut Movie : 1996 movie 'Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat'
Rani Mukherjee Award : Won the Best Actor Film Fare award in two consecutive years 2004 and 2005 for 'Hum Tum' and 'Black'.
Rani Mukherjee Hobby : Dancing
Rani Mukherjee Boy Friend : Aditya Chopra
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Rani Mukharji Biography

Name at Stardom: Rani Mukerji
Date of birth: March 21 1978
City: Calcutta
State: West Bengal
Country: India
Birth name: Rani Mukherjee
Nickname: Rani , Poppy
Height: 5 feet 2 inches
Vital stats: 36 – 28 – 38
Eye Balls: hazel
Hair: Black – brown
Mother: Krishna Mukherjee
Father: Ram Mukherjee
Siblings: Brother – one
Name: Raja Mukherjee
School: Maneckjee Cooper High School
College: Mitthibai College , Mumbai
Debut year: 1992
Debut Film: Biyer Phool (Tollywood : Bengali)
Spouse: N/A
Engaged to Aditya Chopra
Children: N/A
TV shows: N/A

Background:

Rani Mukherjee is Kajol’s cousin.  And both her father and brother belong to the Hindi Film Industry. Her mother too is an accomplished singer. Ram Mukherjee, Rani’s father is one of the co – owners at the Mukherjee family’s hereditary studio, the Filmalaya Studios.  As far as records go , media has reported that Rani has a huge fan following in Pakistan.  When the Government of India made attempts to hold delegates talks with Pakistan, during one such meet, Rani was invited to attend  a dinner with Gen. Musharraf as she was his favourite Bollywood actress.  Rani’s 1st foreign tour was a huge commercial success and is considered an important aspect of her career. It happened in 1999, and she was accompanied by Akshay Kumar, Amir Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Twinkle Khanna.
Controversy:
While at shooting by a Varanasi Ganges bank, during the movie Sarkar, Rani’s personal security latthi-charged the media and fans. Rani did not stop them. Later, though, she had to apologized in public. Before Aishwarya’s marriage to Abhishek Bachchan, rumour was that Rani was to be married to him and that Jaya Bachchan approved of it too much.  Next and most recent was the controversy regarding Shahid Kapoor’s co – starring her in Dil Bole Hadippa. Media said that both Vidya Balan and Rani couldn’t stop bickering against one another on playing the leading roles with Shahid, who is apparently younger to both actresses.
Screen Time:
Rani is a personal favorite of Karan Johar and has been playing leads and cameos for him from quite a long time.  She also has a plethora of films that she can be proud of like Ghulam, Hey Ram, Bichhoo, Nayak , Saathiya, Yuva, Hum Tum, No One Killed Jessica, Veer Zaara,  Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Kuch Kuch Hata hai , Black, Bunty aur Bubly, Paheli , etc.  She won a total of 6 Filmfares.
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Rani Mukharji Biography

Rani Mukharji

Rani Mukherjee was born in Mumbai on 21 March 1978 to a film-oriented family of Bengali origin. Her father, Ram Mukherjee, is a retired director and one of the founders of Filmalaya Studios while her mother, Krishna, was a playback singer. Her brother, Raja Mukherjee, is a film producer turned director. Her maternal aunt, Debashree Roy, is a Bengali film actress and her cousin, Kajol, is a popular Bollywood actress. Another cousin of hers, Ayan Mukerji is the writer and director of Wake Up Sid (2009). As part of a tradition, the Mukherjee family celebrates the festival of Durga Puja at Santacruz every year. Mukherjee, being a religious person, takes part in the festivities with her entire family.


Mukherjee is a trained Odissi dancer and began learning the dance in the tenth grade. She was schooled at Maneckji Cooper High School in Juhu, and graduated from SNDT Women's University in the field of Home Science. Despite her family background, Mukerji was never interested in becoming an actress. In 1994, director Salim Khan approached her to be a part of his directorial, Aa Gale Lag Jaa. Her father was against her working in films and hence, she turned down the offer. However, she finally decided to take up acting on an experimental basis, on the insistence of her mother.

After doing a cameo appearance for the first time in her father's Bengali film Biyer Phool (1996), Mukherjee made her Hindi film debut the following year, as the protagonist of Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat. Her performance as a rape victim was well-received, but the film failed to do well at the box office.

Mukherjee had a successful comeback in 1998 with Vikram Bhatt's Ghulam, opposite Aamir Khan. The film did moderately well at the box office, while the song "Aati Kya Khandala" earned her public recognition. Karan Johar's directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, was her next release. She played the supporting role of Tina Malhotra, a sophisticated girl in love with Khan's character. The movie was a blockbuster,  and Mukherjee went on to receive her first Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actress category.

She subsequently played leading roles in the films Mehndi (1998) and Hello Brother (1999), with the latter opposite Salman Khan. Both these films were critically and commercially unsuccessful.

Mukherjee's first release of 2000 was Raj Kanwar's action drama Badal opposite Bobby Deol. The film emerged as one of the highest-grossing films of the year, but met with negative reviews from critics. She then essayed a brief role in Kamal Haasan's Hey Ram as the protagonist's first wife, Aparna Ram. The controversial film, based on Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, was a critical success and was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars that year. Mukherjee next appeared in Bichhoo, an unofficial adaptation of Luc Besson's Leon, as the foul-mouthed, coarse daughter of a drug dealer. The film and her performance received negative reviews from critics. She also starred alongside Govinda, for the first time, in the comedy Hadh Kar Di Aapne.

Later that year, she teamed up with Salman Khan for two films, Raj Kanwar's Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega and Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye. While the former was inspired by the Sandra Bullock starrer While You Were Sleeping (1995), the later was a remake of Frank Coraci's The Wedding Singer (1998). She was appreciated for her performance in Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega and received her second Filmfare nomination in the Supporting Actress category.

In 2001, Mukherjee 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. Mukherjee's role was that of Priya Malhotra, a woman who is unable to conceive after a miscarriage and thus, hires a surrogate mother. She next played the love-interests of Abhishek Bachchan and Anil Kapoor respectively, in two predominantly male-centric films: Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai and Nayak: The Real Hero. Upon release, both films under-performed at the box office.

In 2002, Mukerji essayed the lead role of Pooja Sahani in Kunal Kohli's romance Mujhse Dosti Karoge!, alongside Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor. The film marked the first of her many collaborations with one of India's largest production companies: Yash Raj Films. Although the movie flopped in India. That year, she acted opposite Govinda once again in two commercially unsuccessful films, Pyaar Diwana Hota Hai and Chalo Ishq Ladaaye.

Later that year, Mukherjee 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 Actress, and received her first Best Actress nomination at the same ceremony. The film, which earned a moderate success at the Box Office.

Mukherjee's first release of 2003 was Aziz Mirza's box office hit Chalte Chalte opposite Shahrukh Khan. Though the film saw her play a role similar to the one she played in Saathiya, her new "tanned" look was appreciated and her portrayal earned her a second nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare awards. She next featured as the protagonist in Milan Luthria's Chori Chori opposite Ajay Devgan, Sudhir Mishra's Calcutta Mail alongside Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala and J.P. Dutta's multi-starrer war film LOC Kargil. All three of them were critical as well as commercial failures.
In 2004, she acted in Mani Ratnam's composite film Yuva alongside Ajay Devgan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor and Esha Deol. Though the film failed to do well at the box office, the film by itself and her performance were critically acclaimed. The film fetched Mukherjee her second Best Supporting Actress award at the Filmfare ceremony. She received further success by playing the leading role in Yash Raj Films' romantic comedy Hum Tum, directed by Kunal Kohli, which became one of the biggest hits of the year. The film won her several Best Actress awards, including her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

Her last release of the year was Yash Chopra's love saga Veer-Zaara, in which she co-starred alongside Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta. The film, which emerged as a major commercial success.

In 2005, Mukherjee 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. Black was a major critical success, and Mukherjee received unanimous acclaim for her performance.

Her next release, Bunty Aur Babli, surfaced as one of the biggest hits of the year. The film, which became a box office success, opened to mixed reviews, and so did Mukherjee's performance.

Her third release that year, Paheli, opposite Shahrukh Khan, was a Box Office disaster. The film was critically acclaimed, as was Mukherjee's performance. In her final release of the year, The Rising, she played a prostitute, Heera, who is the love interest of the protagonist Mangal Pandey, played by Aamir Khan.

In 2006 she starred in Karan Johar's drama Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Kirron Kher. The film opened to mixed reviews but emerged as a major overseas success.

Mukherjee's next release was B.R. Chopra's tearjerker Baabul alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and John Abraham. The movie did not do well at the box office in India, but proved to be a hit overseas.

From 2007 to 2009, Mukherjee featured primarily in films produced by Yash Raj Films (with the exception of Saawariya). Her first release was Siddharth Anand's melodrama Ta Ra Rum Pum, where she played Radhika Rai Banerjee, a pianist turned housewife opposite Saif Ali Khan. The film performed decently at the box office, while her performance was generally well received. Her next release of the year was Pradeep Sarkar's drama Laaga Chunari Mein Daag alongside Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Konkana Sen Sharma and Kunal Kapoor. The film met with mixed reviews, while Mukherjee was criticised for playing stereotypical roles that required her to cry often. Her final release of the year was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's tragedy Saawariya, where she essayed a smaller part of a sex-worker. The film, which featured debutants Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in lead roles, was a critical and commercial failure.

In 2008, Mukherjee was paired with Saif Ali Khan again for Kunal Kohli's Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. This fantasy film had Mukherjee play an angel who comes to Earth to help four troubled kids. The film, which flopped at the box office, met with generally positive reviews from critics. The box office failure of her recent films made Mukerji lose weight and undergo a makeover in her following release, Dil Bole Hadippa (2009). The film under performed at the Indian box office.
She was not seen in any 2010 releases. In 2011, Mukherjee starred in UTV Motion Pictures' semi-biographic thriller, No One Killed Jessica, based on the Jessica Lal murder case. She played the fictional character of a foul-mouthed television journalist, Meera Gaity, deeply involved with the case. Upon release, Mukherjee's performance received mostly positive reviews. The film was a commercial success, despite the absence of any prominent male actors. Mukherjee won her third Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Her upcoming films include Reema Kagti's suspense thriller Talaash co-starring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor and Sachin Kundalkar's Aiyaa opposite Prithviraj.

Rani Mukharji Biography

Profile:

Name: Rani Mukherjee

Date Of Birth: 21 March 1978

Place Of Birth: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Occupation: Film actress

Height: 5′ 3″ (1.60 m)

Biography:
Rani Mukerji is an Indian film actress who works in Hindi movies. Born to the Mukherjee-Samarth family, she made her acting debut with a cameo appearance in the Bengali film Biyer Phool (1996), on the insistence of her mother. The following year, Mukerji made her Hindi film debut with Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, and subsequently had her first, and still biggest commercial success with Karan Johar’s romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), which won her a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later starred in several films that fared below expectations, before featuring in the critically acclaimed drama Saathiya, for which she won her first Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. In addition to acting in films, Mukerji has featured as a talent judge for Sony Entertainment Television’s reality show Dance Premier League. She is a regular stage performer and has been involved in philanthropic endeavors related to women and children. Despite constant speculation, she remains guarded about her personal life and is sometimes labelled a recluse by members of the media. Mukerji currently lives in Juhu with her parents.


Rani Mukherjee childhood photo
Early life and background:
Mukerji was born in Mumbai on 21 March 1978 to a film-oriented family of Bengali origin. Her father, Ram Mukherjee, is a retired director and one of the founders of Filmalaya Studios while her mother, Krishna, was a playback singer. Her brother, Raja Mukherjee, is a film producer turned director. Her maternal aunt, Debashree Roy, is a Bengali film actress and her cousin, Kajol, is a popular Bollywood actress. Another cousin of hers, Ayan Mukerji is the writer and director of Wake Up Sid (2009). As part of a tradition, the Mukherjee family celebrates the festival of Durga Puja at Santacruz every year. Mukerji, being a religious person, takes part in the festivities with her entire family. Mukerji is a trained Odissi dancer and began learning the dance in the tenth grade. She was schooled at Maneckji Cooper High School in Juhu, and graduated from SNDT Women’s University in the field of Home Science. Despite her family background, Mukerji was never interested in becoming an actress. In 1994, director Salim Khan approached her to be a part of his directorial, Aa Gale Lag Jaa. Her father was against her working in films and hence, she turned down the offer. However, she finally decided to take up acting on an experimental basis, on the insistence of her mother.


Rani Mukherjee family photo
Acting career:

Prior work and breakthrough, 1997-2002:
After doing a short cameo appearance for the first time in her father’s Bengali film Biyer Phool (1992), Mukerji made her acting debut five years later, as the protagonist of Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat (1997). Her performance as a rape victim in the film was well received, but the film failed to do well commercially. Nevertheless, she received a Special Jury recognition at the Star Screen Awards. However, when the film failed at the box office, she returned to college to complete her education. Mukerji as Tina Malhotra in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), her biggest commercial success to date. Pictured with Shahrukh Khan. Mukerji had a successful comeback in 1998 with 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 sacrificing bhartiya 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.”


No One Killed Jessica movie still
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 second Filmfare 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. Mukerji’s portrayal of Rhea Sharma, a woman of today’s generation, won her several awards, including her first Filmfare Best Actress Award. 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.Mukerji in her critically acclaimed performance as the blind, deaf and mute Michelle McNally inBlack (2005), which earned her the Filmfare Best Actress Award for the second consecutive year.

In 2005, Mukerji starred in four high-profile films: Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black, Shaad Ali’sBunty 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. 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. 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.  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.”   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.


Dil Bole Hadippa movie still
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 where she played the role of a woman who is forced to take up prostitution due to family problems and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya where she again essayed the role of a prostitute, were critical and commercial failures in India. Mukerji’s role in Kunal Kohli’s Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, which released on 27 June 2008, received positive reviews from critics; however, the film failed to do well at the box office. Mukerji starred as a feisty Punjabi village girl who dreams of playing first class cricket, no matter what it takes. Her performance in the film was generally well received by critics. The movie co-stars Shahid Kapoor and Anupam Kher. Mukerji is currently shooting for No One Killed Jessica which is being produced by UTV Motion Pictures and directed by Rajkumar Gupta who had previously directed the critically-acclaimed film Aamir, the film is believed to be based on the controversial Jessica Lal murder case.


Rani Mukherjee and Shahrukh Khan
Personal life:
Mukerji changed the English tranliteration of her surname from Mukherjee to Mukerji several years ago. At the time, it was reported that she did this for numerological reasons. In 2006, Mukerji stated that numerology was not a concern; her name had been put down as Mukerji on her passport, and she wanted to be consistent. Mukerji has three homes in Mumbai, including her childhood home. She bought a bungalow in Juhu for herself and her parents in mid-2005. The house went through a two year renovation with the interiors done by Twinkle Khanna and Sussanne Roshan.

Controversies:
In June 2005, Mukerji was widely criticized following the publication of an interview with British newspaper Desi Xpress. Mukerji was asked to name her idol and she replied, “Adolf Hitler”. However, in an interview with Times Now a year later, she denied ever mentioning Hitler’s name. In November 2006, Mukerji was shooting for the film Laaga Chunari Mein Daag in Varanasi when avid fans crowded the set. Security personnel beat the crowd back. A media storm followed as various groups insisted that Mukerji should have stopped the security guards. Mukerji later issued an apology.


Rani Mukherjee and Hrithik Roshan
Other work:
In March 2004, Mukerji visited the sandy dunes of Rajasthan to boost the morale of the jawans. It was for a show where entertainers and stars visit Indian troops in far-flung regions to encourage them along with the NDTV team. In February 2005, Mukerji performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert to help rais