Happy Birthday Rani Mukerji: Here’s to the actress who redefined the norms

Mumbai: Actress Rani Mukerji has turned 40 today, and she has completed 22 years in Bollywood itself. Starting her career with ‘Raja Ki Aayegi Baarat’ on 18th October 1996, Rani has constantly broken and redefined the norm, and thus made us all believe that change is essential.

In her 22 years span, she has worked in over 60 films, and is all geared up to come back to movies with ‘Hichki’ after gracing marriage and motherhood. Post ‘Hichki’ too, Rani will play herself in the much awaited Aanand L. Rai movie ‘Zero’ starring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role.

In fact her upcoming release ‘Hichki’ is about not only dealing with tourette syndrome, but breaking the stereotype that a challenged person cannot become what they wish to because of the hindrances.

Rani herself wrote a letter today, which is full of gratitude and some hopes to avoid or let go of all hindrances in life. See it here:

Rani Mukerji's letter on her 40th birthday.

Here are some more moments when Rani Mukerji broke the norm and rebuilt her own norm:

Going slightly tapori in ‘Ghulam’

Rani went almost unnoticed in ‘Raja Ki Aayegi Baarat’, but being brave enough, she went on to play tapori in ‘Ghulam’, a film rejected by Aamir’s ‘Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahi’ co-star Pooja Bhatt. Pooja’s loss became Rani’s gain, and well, the film became a super hit, and the song ‘Aati Kya Khandala’ featuring Aamir Khan and Rani is still fresh in people’s minds.

She became a fashionista with ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ and started the trend of long suit dresses

Rahul Khanna aka Shah Rukh Khan fell in love with the beauty that Rani Mukerji carried every time. She knew what dressing was and did it perfectly in the movie. And from ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, Rani became a fashionista whose look was enhanced with ‘Hum Tum’ and ‘Chalte Chalte’ too. Rani also introduced the trend of long suit dresses, through ‘Baabul’ and other films. For her off-screen fashion though, designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee is the man who needs to be complimented.

After doing serious and romantic roles, she opted for ‘Black’

Rani Mukerji and Amitabh Bachchan in 'Black'.

Rani did films like ‘Saathiya’, ‘Chalte Chalte’, ‘Yuva’, ‘Hum Tum’ and ‘Veer-Zaara’ before picking Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Black’. Her ‘Mujhse Dosti Karoge!’ and ‘Yuva’ co-actress Kareena was approached for the movie, but ‘Black’ eventually came to Rani and the actress made sure that her performance was unmatchable.

Was bold enough to play an infidel wife in ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’

Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji in a still from 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna'.

The role Rani played in ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’ was initially offered to Kajol, since Karan Johar wanted to bring back SRK-Kajol’s jodi on screen, but Kajol rejected the film and bashed it to the extent of calling it KJo’s worst film till date because how can a wife be infidel? But Rani looked at it as an opportunity and the film has gone on to become one of Rani’s best till date.

The changing phase as bold, action heroine

Rani Mukerji in 'Mardaani'.

Post ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’, Rani was in the news mostly for her roles as journalist in ‘No One Killed Jessica’ and her action avatar in ‘Mardaani’. This was at a time when female-centric films were just coming to highlight.

Keeping the personal life super secretive

Many couples came out in the open, most left, some others stayed. Rani Mukerji, who is now happily married to YRF’s head honcho Aditya Chopra, never let much news about her love affair come out in the open. In fact Rani and Aditya got secretly married in Italy on April 21, 2014. After their wedding, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli too got secretly married in December 2017.

Not letting marriage or motherhood change a thing

Rani got obsessed with her kid Adira, but Aditya was an inspiration to help the actress pull her socks and get back to acting. So Rani is back as an actress, having a social life, attending parties, and not being housebound in a saree. She is the definition of the modern-aged woman.

Fun fact: Rani is good friends with all the three Khans, something that is very rare to find in the industry.

She was also called the sob queen because nobody looked as good as her when crying on screen.