| Rani Mukerji | |
|---|---|
Mukerji at the 2009 TIFF special screening of her film Dil Bole Hadippa! |
|
| Born | Rani Mukherjee 21 March 1978 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Other names | Rani Mukherji Rani Mukerjee |
| Occupation | Film actress |
| Years active | 1997–present |
Rani Mukerji (Bengali: রাণী মুখার্জী, pronounced [rɑ:ni: mʊərʤɪ]; born Rani Mukherjee on 21 March 1978)[1] is an Indian film actress who works in Hindi movies. In the course of her film career, she has received six Filmfare Awards, among twelve nominations.[2]
Making her acting debut with Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat (1997), Mukerji had her first, and still biggest commercial success with Karan Johar's romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), and won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for her performance in the film. 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.[3]
In 2004, her performances in the hit 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.[4] 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 were commercial successes and fetched Mukerji Best Actress nominations at the Filmfare Awards ceremony.[5] Mukerji thus established herself as a leading actress of Hindi cinema.[6][7] She then featured in a series of commercially unsuccessful films before re-inventing herself with Raj Kumar Gupta's semi-biographic thriller No One Killed Jessica (2011).[8]
Contents |
Mukerji comes from a film-oriented family of Bengali origin. Her father Ram Mukherjee is a retired director and one of the founders of Filmalaya Studios[9] 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).
Mukerji is a trained Odissi dancer,[10] and began learning the dance in the tenth grade. Mukerji studied at Maneckji Cooper High School in Juhu, and later enrolled at Mithibai College in Mumbai. Despite her background, she was never interested in becoming an actress, stating that, “I never thought I had any talent to be in films so it never occurred to me that I could be an actor.” [11]
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 at the box office. Nevertheless, she received a Special Jury recognition at the Star Screen Awards.[12] The film's commercial failure made her return to college to complete her education. However, upon seeing her cousin Kajol's success, she decided to try films again.[13]
Mukerji 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" made her popular among the masses.[14][15] Karan Johar's directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, followed for her that year. She played the supporting role of Tina Malhotra, a sophisticated girl in love with Khan. Of her performance, Rediff.com wrote, "Rani Mukherjee is a pleasant surprise - totally comfortable, clearly having suspended all disbelief".[16] The movie was a blockbuster, with an adjusted worldwide gross of 182 crore (US$34.58 million),[17] and Mukerji went on to receive her first Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. She later played lead roles in films like Mehndi (1998) and Hello Brother (1999), alongside Salman Khan.[18] Both these films were critically and commercially unsuccessful.[19]
Mukerji'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,[20] but met with negative reviews from critics. She then essayed a brief role in Kamal Haasan's Hey Ram as Hassan's first wife, Aparna Ram.[21] 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.[22] Mukerji followed with a leading role in Bichhoo, inspired by Luc Besson's Leon, opposite Bobby Deol, as the foul-mouthed, coarse daughter of a drug dealer.[23] The film, as well as her performance received negative reviews from critics.[24] 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).[25][26] She was appreciated for her performance in Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega and received her second Filmfare nomination in the Supporting Actress category.[27]
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.[28] Mukerji's role was that of Priya Malhotra, a woman who is unable to conceive after a miscarriage and 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."[29] 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.[30]
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.[31] Although the movie flopped in India,[32] it performed well overseas.[33] That year, she acted opposite Govinda once again in two commercially unsuccessful films, Pyaar Diwana Hota Hai and Chalo Ishq Ladaaye.
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 Actress, and among several other nominations, received her first Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare. While Khalid Mohamed described her performance as "sensitively nuanced", Udita Jhunjhunwala of Mid-Day noted, "Her expressions and acting are understated in a role that fits her like a glove."[34] The film, which earned a moderate domestic total of 18 crore (US$3.42 million), rejuvenated her fading career.[32] In an interview to Hindustan Times, she said, "(Before Saathiya) nothing that was coming my way excited me... I knew Saathiya was a special film. I felt it while making it."[35]
Mukerji's first release of 2003 was Aziz Mirza's box-office hit Chalte Chalte opposite Shahrukh Khan.[36] Though the film saw her play a role similar to the one she played in Saathiya, her new look was well appreciated and her portrayal earned her a second nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare awards. [37] She next featured 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.[38] All three of them were critical as well as commercial failures.[39]
In 2004, she acted in Mani Ratnam's composite film Yuva alongside Ajay Devgan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor and Esha Deol. The film, which narrated the story of three younsters from different stratums of society, saw Mukerji play a Bengali housewife opposite Bachchan. Though the film failed to do well at the box office,[40] the film, as well as her performance was critically acclaimed. Rediff, as part of a performance analysis noted, "Her inspiring work in Yuva as the devoted yet frustrated wife of a local goon came alive every time she flashed those big fire-filled eyes at her husband or broke down angrily at an unsuspecting onlooker."[41] The film fetched Mukerji her second Best Supporting Actress award at the Filmfare Awards 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 with a non-adjusted gross of 30.5 crore (US$5.8 million).[40] The film starred Mukerji along with Saif Ali Khan and followed the arcs of their characters at different stages of their lives. Mukerji's portrayal of Rhea Sharma, an independent woman, won her several Best Actress awards, including her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress. BBC observed, "Rani is fast becoming one of the more dependable and versatile actresses of her generation."[42] She eventually became the first actor to have received both the Filmfare awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in the same year.
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 the top-grossing movie of the year in India and abroad, grossing 94 crore (US$17.86 million) worldwide,[33][40] narrated the love story of the title characters, Veer Pratap Singh, played by Khan, and a Pakistani woman, Zaara Hayaat Khan, 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. The film, which was screened at the Berlin Film Festival met with positive reviews.[43] A review carried by Rediff noted, "...Rani walks away with the best lines and a performance full of grit."[44]
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[4] and stated that she was not confident enough to play a deaf-blind person.[4] Once Bhansali reinforced his faith in her, she agreed to do it and went on to study intensely sign language with professionals at the Helen Keller Institute in Mumbai.[45] Black was a major critical success, and Mukerji received universal acclaim for her performance. 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".[46]
She eventually won the Best Actress and the Best Actress - Critics at the Filmfare Awards ceremony.[47] Filmfare included her performance in their list of the "80 Most Iconic performances", while commenting,
| “ | For a role that required her to be deaf, dumb and blind, Rani sure filled the silences with her stupendous presence and how. Rani has that quality of making each role her own stamping it with her instinct and force of talent. Pitted against a thespian actor like Amitabh Bachchan, Rani holds her own in her Helen Keller-esque portrayal of a young woman fighting not just her own private darkness but the one surrounding her world. Pitched with eloquence and a pathos that no one has matched in any role in coming years, Rani has left an indelible mark with this role that usually comes once in a lifetime for most. [48] | ” |
Her next release, Bunty Aur Babli, surfaced as one of the biggest hits of the year. She played the character of Vimmi "Babli" Saluja, a con woman, opposite Abhishek Bachchan. The film, which became a box-office success with a gross of 77 crore (US$14.63 million), opened to mixed reviews, and so did Mukerji's performance, with The Times of India 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.[49][50] Consequently, Mukerji received another nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her work.
Her third release that year, Paheli, opposite Shahrukh Khan, was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars for the 79th Academy Awards.[51][52] The film was critically acclaimed, as was Mukerji's performance, which Raja Sen called "another perfectly played part".[53] Her final release of the year, The Rising, saw her play a prostitute, Heera, the love interest of the protagonist Mangal Pandey, played by Aamir Khan.[54] Derek Elley of Variety mentioned that she made "the most of her feisty nautch-girl," inpite of having "a small role for a star of her caliber."[55]
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 the most successful movie ever overseas with a worldwide gross of 113 crore (US$21.47 million).[33] The film told the story of two unhappily married couples in New York, which later 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 with Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN concluding, "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."[56] She received several nominations for the role, including her fifth Filmfare - Best Actress nomination, and won the IIFA Best Actress Award for the third consecutive year.
Mukerji'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,[57] but proved to be a hit overseas.[33] Her portrayal of Malvika, a young widow, met with mixed reviews from critics with Sarita Tanwar from Mid Day commenting, "Rani Mukerji breathes life into a somewhat confused character".[58]
From 2007 to 2010, Mukerji featured primarily in films produced by Yash Raj Films (with the exception of Saawariya).[59] 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,[60] while her performance was generally well-received. Adarsh wrote, "Rani enacts the role of the mother/wife proficiently."[61] Negative reviews, however were directed towards the film itself, with Rajeev Masand writing, "neither Saif Ali Khan nor Rani is able to make much of an impression because their characters are so unidimensional and boring."[62] 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 Mukerji was criticised for playing stereotypical roles that required her to cry often.[63] A review carried by Indian Express noted, "Rani holds the film together, even if her part, both as the ingénue and the hooker, doesn’t have freshness."[64] Her performance nonetheless fetched her yet another Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare ceremony. 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,[60] but Mukerji's performance earned her a fifth Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination.
In 2008, Mukerji was paired with Saif Ali Khan again for Kunal Kohli's Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. This fantasy film had Mukerji 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.[65][66] 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 project, co-starring Shahid Kapoor, saw Mukerji portray a cricket-obsessed Punjabi village girl masquerading as a man.[67][68] The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival under performed at the Indian box-office.[69]
Though her performances in the films during this period were generally well-received, none of them performed well commercially, leading to major setbacks in her career.[70][71] She was not seen in any 2010 releases. When questioned about working only under the Yash Raj Films banner, she said, "An actor is here to act and pick great roles and scripts. I was getting great roles from Yash Raj at that point, roles that any actor would give an arm to do. I stand by those films regardless of their fate".[72]
In 2011, Mukerji starred in UTV Motion Pictures' semi-biographic thriller, No One Killed Jessica (2011), 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. In an interview with The Calcutta Telegraph she said, "It was such a different role to portray. It wasn’t a role that was typical of a Hindi film heroine. Meera was more like a hero. It was a character that actually took the story forward…. Meera made a lot of things happen. It wasn’t something that I had ever done before. I actually had to play a man! "[73] Upon release, Mukerji's performance received mostly positive reviews. The Times of India wrote, "Rani's character being fictional and glamourized seems superficial to an extent but she packs in the punch required for her dynamic character."[74] While other critics praised her performance, with Daily News and Analysis describing it as "one of her best performances till date,"[75] several critics were less positive, including Anupama Chopra of NDTV, who called her role, "the fatal, false note in No One Killed Jessica," arguing that "The character is written superficially and Rani’s portrayal of her is equally banal. It’s all about externals. She argues a lot and proudly labels herself a bitch but her hair stays perfectly in place and in the end, she even gets to do a super-hero-like slow motion walk."[76] The film eventually earned 49 crore (US$9.31 million) and was especially noted for being a commercial success, despite the absence of any prominent male actors.[77][78]
As of November 2011, her upcoming films include Reema Kagti's suspense thriller Talaash co-starring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap's Aiyaa opposite Prithviraj.[79][80]
Other than acting in films, Mukerji has been involved with several humanitarian causes and stage shows. In March 2004, Mukerji visited the sandy dunes of Rajasthan to visit the Indian troops stationed there. The show, an initiate of NDTV, had her spend a day with them in order to boost their morale.[81] 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.[82] In 2007, she appeared in the popular quiz show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, along with actress Preity Zinta, and donated the share of her prize money to The Holy Family Hospital, which looked after children with heart problems. [83]
Among her stage performances, Mukerji was 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.[84] Mukerji has additionally 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.[85] 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.[86]
In 2005, post the release of her film Veer-Zaara, Mukerji was invited by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for a state dinner in honour of Pakistan's then-president Parvez Musharraf. In an interview to Rediff, she spoke about her experience, "It was like a dream come true! To just be part of such an event made me feel that I've done something to achieve this." [87]
In 2009, Mukerji made made her television debut as a judge with the reality show Dance Premier League. She explained her stint with television, saying that it made her "more accessible" to the audience and helped her "gain visibility when [she was] not doing too many films."[88] In 2011, she reprised her role of Meera Gaity on the TV series C.I.D. in a guest appearance to promote her film No One Killed Jessica.[89]
Mukerji changed the English transliteration of her surname from Mukherjee to Mukerji several years ago. It was widely reported that she did this for numerological reasons, though she has never made a public statement regarding the same.[90] 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.[91]
Mukerji is extremely guarded about her personal life, and despite constant media speculation, has never spoken about her relationships.[92] She is additionally known for her media-friendly image and shares a close friendship with several Bollywood stars including Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Karan Johar.[93][94] Mukerji's distinctive features include her light green eyes and her slightly husky, broken voice.[95] Due to this voice texture, her lines were dubbed by a dubbing artist in Ghulam (1998), but she eventually dubbed for her own lines in her next release, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. She noted, “When Karan Johar wanted my voice to be dubbed for Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I really thought that it [my voice] was bad and very husky and rough, but slowly I worked to improve my diction, and am now quite comfortable with it."[11]
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".[96] However, in an interview with Times Now a year later, she denied ever mentioning Hitler's name.[96] 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.[97] A media storm followed as various groups insisted that Mukerji should have stopped the security guards. Mukerji later issued an apology.[97]
Mukerji occupied the top slot of Filmfare's 'Top Ten Bollywood Actresses' list for two years in a row (2004–2005).[98] 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.[6] In February 2006, Filmfare placed her eighth amongst the "Ten Most Powerful Names of Bollywood",[99] an achievement she repeated from the previous year, where she was ranked at number ten, the only woman on the list.[100] In 2007, she was ranked at number five.[101] On Women's International Day 2007, Mukerji came in fourth position on the All-Time Best Bollywood Actresses Ever listing.[102] She was placed at number #36 by UK magazine Eastern Eye as one of "Asia's Sexiest Women" (Sept/2006).[103] Mukerji is frequently featured in various lists by Rediff.com, among them, Bollywood's Most Beautiful Actresses,[104] Bollywood's Best Dressed Women[105] and Women of Many Faces.[106]
| Year | Show | Role | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Dance Premier League | Judge | Sony TV |
| 2011 | CID | Guest Role: Meera Gaity | Sony TV |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||