Happy birthday, Rani Mukerji: Revisiting actor's unconventional, pathbreaking roles
Rani Mukerji entered the industry with Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat and went on to star in several commercially successful movies such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Ghulam, and Saathiya. Apart from playing the romantic lead, she is also known for her versatility, which brought her to the surface through her unconventional choices over the years. On her 45th birthday, let's look at some.
'Mardaani'
Pradeep Sarkar's Mardaani presented the actor as Shivani Shivaji Roy, a no-nonsense police officer who takes it upon herself to uncover the nexus of human trafficking. Tahir Raj Bhasin and Saanand Verma were seen in supporting roles. The film's success helped spawn the sequel Mardaani 2, and Mardaani 3 is reportedly in the works, too. The films are available on Amazon Prime Video.
'Black'
Even a cursory glance at Mukerji's repertoire confirms that her role as a blind, deaf, and mute girl in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black was her most challenging one. In a film where she had no dialogue and had to make do with only sounds, expressions, and gestures, she still captured the spotlight, moved audiences to tears, and eventually received immense critical acclaim.
'Bunty Aur Babli'
The Indian equivalent of Bonnie and Clyde, Yash Raj Films's Bunty Aur Babli is another evergreen drama that showcased Mukerji's versatility, comic timing, and chemistry with co-actors such as Abhishek Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan. Apart from her girl next door image, what further connected the audience to Mukerji was her costume—Patiala salwars and kurtis, which became some sort of fashion rage back in 2005.
'Hichki'
Hichki (2018)—directed by Siddharth P Malhotra—makes another strong case for Mukerji's acting chops and proves that she may not lead many films now, but there's no way that she has lost her mojo! She played a teacher who suffers from Tourette syndrome, a condition that unfortunately hasn't received much limelight in India. The movie was based on the book Front of the Class.
