Happy Birthday to Bollywood’s Khandala Girl, Rani Mukerji!

Rani Mukerji is one of the gorgeous and most accomplished actors in Bollywood. She is known for her versatile roles, ranging from the beautiful college girl Tina who every guy had a crush on, in the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, to a dedicated and strong police officer in the film Mardaani. On her 45th birthday, let's have a glimpse into her life!

History

Rani Mukerji was born on 21st March 1978, in Mumbai to her mother, Krishna Mukherjee, a playback singer, and father, Ram Mukherjee, a former movie director and also one of the founders of Filmaya Studios. Rani Mukerji belongs to a family of film directors and actors. Therefore, she was not keen on pursuing a career in Bollywood.

Rani Mukerji did her schooling at Maneckji Cooper High School and graduated in Home Science from SNDT Women's University. Not many know this, but Mukerji is also a trained Odissi dancer. She began learning the classical dance form from class 10th.

Acting Career

In 1994, Rani Mukerji was offered the lead role in Salim Khan's Aa Gale Lag Jaa. However, she had to turn down the role after her father felt she was too young to work in films. At 18, her mother suggested she try acting, so she accepted the offer of the lead role in the film Raja ki Aayegi Baraat and a Bengali film, Biyer Phool. Raja ki Aayegi Baraat was not big hit, but Mukerji was praised for her role.

Rani's first commercially successful film was Ghulam in 1998, starring opposite Aamir Khan. A song in the film 'Aati Kya Khandala' became popular, and she became the Khandala Girl. In the same year, she was cast alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol for the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, the directorial debut of Karan Johar. It was one of the year's top-grossing films and a turning point for Rani.

By 2002, she had established herself as an actress in Bollywood. Her films during the 2000s include Chalte Chalte, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega, Saathiya, Yuva, Hum Tum, Veer-Zara, and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. In 2005, she starred with Amitabh Bachchan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black, where she played the role of a blind and deaf girl. She learned Sign language at the Hellen Keller Institute in Mumbai to prepare for such a challenging role.

Rani also worked in some thrillers, such as No One Killed Jessica, Talaash: The Answer Lies Within, and Maardani. She took a four-year break from the film industry and returned to acting with the 2018 flick Hichki, in which she played the role of a teacher of suffers from Tourette syndrome.

Awards and Accolades

Rani Mukerji has won several awards and accolades for her work and contribution to the Bollywood industry. Some of her major achievements are listed below:

• Rani Mukerji won third place in Filmfare's list of Top 10 Actresses in 2003.
• In 2004, she was awarded the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Award for contribution to cinema.
• In 2009, she won the GQ Excellence Award for Achievement in Films.
• PETA India, in 2012, was awarded the Hero to Animals Award for her work for animals.
• In 2022, she was felicitated with Best Actress Bollywood of the Year at the Bollywood Life Awards