Rani Mukerji is an Indian actress who is well-known to fans and viewers as one of the most popular in Bollywood currently, appearing in hit films. She gained a reputation for becoming the highest-paid film actress in Bollywood during the early 2000s. We wanted to learn more about her including how she became so successful and what she’s up to now. We learned some interesting things about her that are well-worth knowing, so here are 10 things about Rani Mukerji that you probably didn’t know.
1. Her Birthday
Rani was born in Mumbai on March 21, 1978. She turned 41 in 2019 and maintains a youthful and beautiful appearance. She was born to Ram Mukherjee and Krishna Mukherjee. She attended Maneckji Cooper High School in Juhu and lived a fairly normal life as a child and teenager. She is a practicing Hindu and remains loyal to her beliefs.
2. She comes from a prominent family of entertainers
Rani’s father was previously a film director. He also co-founded the Filmalaya Studios. Her mom, prior to retirement was a playback singer. Rani’s older brother Raja is a director and a film producer so it appears that most of her immediate family either is or was involved in the Bollywood film industry. Her mother’s sister is Debashree Roy who is a Bengali film actress and her cousin Kajor is a film actress. Rani’s cousin Ayan Mukerji is a film director and scriptwriter. We can see that even her extended family members are a part of the film industry in India.
3. She has a unique acting style and reputation
Rani achieved a great deal of success as an Indian film actress because she set out to do something different. With so many family members involved in the business, she knew that she had to do something that would set her apart from the rest. This is why she chose to make a departure from the traditional portrayal of Indian women in the media. This had been a topic of interest in Bollywood news during her heyday. Although she is still highly relevant, some of her peak performances were in the early 2000s. She is an award-winning actress who has received seven Filmfare Awards and multiple others.
4. She is a humanitarian
Rani was kept busy because of the high demand for her acting skills in Bollywood, but she made the time to pursue other passions as well. She is a humanitarian who remains concerned about a variety of good causes. She speaks up about the issues that impact children and women in India and she is not afraid to be vocal about injustices and current social issues that need attention.
5. She is married with kids
Rani also made time in her life for romance and a family. Her husband is Aditya Chopra, who is a filmmaker in Bollywood. She has only been married once and they are still together. Mukerji and Chopra have one daughter together which has completed their family.
6. Rani’s career is still going strong
Rani Mukerji hasn’t slowed down in her acting career one bit. She is still in her prime as an actress and she is as in demand with her fans and audiences as ever. Most recently, she appeared as Naina Mathur in the 2018 film “Hichki,” and in 2019, as Shivani Shivaji Roy in “Mardaani 2.” She recently provided the voice work for the character Tina in a recently completed film titled “Koochie Koochie Hota Hai” which is scheduled for release in 2021. As of right now, she is involved in the filming of a new film titled “Bunty Aur Babli 2,” but it’s so early in development that there hasn’t been much information released about it yet.
7. She is also a dancer
Rani Mukerji began dance lessons when she was in the tenth grade in high school. She was trained in Odissi dance. This was one more dimension of the popular actress that many of her fans are not aware of. This has come in handy to make her a more versatile actress for roles that require a bit of dancing and choreography.
8. Her education
Rani’s parents insisted that she take it slowly in her acting career. She appeared in one of her father’s Bengali films when she was just 14 years old, but she completed her high school studies and then attended Mumbai’s Mithibai College. Her father urged her to reject some other acting opportunities that came her way when she was still in school. She completed her education at college so she would have something to fall back on if her acting career didn’t work out.
9. Mukerji changed the spelling of her name
Rani Mukerji changed the way that her last name is spelled a long time ago. There were several reasons for her to do this, but the main reason was that this is how her name was spelled on a passport that she was issued. It was fairly important for her legal name to jibe with what had been printed on the document that allowed her to travel internationally. The family surname is Mukherjee, so phonetically, it remains the same.
10. She is already a film legend
Rani Mukerji seemed destined for greatness in the film industry in India. She was born to a family where this was a way of life and it was the most obvious career choice for her. Even though her parents encouraged her to get an education and have other options roles kept falling into her lap. She turned some down, but this didn’t stop more from coming her way. She is an extremely talented and beloved Bollywood actress who could have chosen another profession but she had a public and fan base who demanded to see her. Producers and casting directors knew that she was a hot commodity and they made it hard for her to resist the offers. She is still active in filmmaking and it looks like she has a long career ahead of her as she is considered to be the “Queen of Bollywood.”
