Rani Mukerji

Rani Mukerji (born Rani Mukherjee on 21 March 1978) 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 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. She later received unanimous praise for her portrayal of a blind, deaf and mute woman in Black (2005), for which she garnered two more Filmfare Awards: Best Actress and 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 played a series of roles, a majority of which were under the Yash Raj Films banner, that stereotyped her as a submissive woman. None of these films performed well at the box office. However, in 2011, she earned praise for her portrayal of a headstrong, independent woman in the semi-biographic thriller No One Killed Jessica.

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.