page_title: Rani Mukerji
section_title: Artistry and media image
hierarchical_section_title: Rani Mukerji / Artistry and media image
caption_attribution_description: English: Rani Mukerji and Sabyasachi Mukherjee unveil Hi Blitz issue in 2009
context_page_description: Rani Mukerji is an Indian film actress. The recipient of such accolades as seven Filmfare Awards, her roles have been cited in the media as a significant departure from previous screen portrayals of Indian women. Mukerji has featured in listings of the most popular and highest-paid Hindi film actresses of the 2000s.
  Although Mukerji was born into the Mukherjee-Samarth family, in which her parents and relatives were members of the Indian film industry, she did not aspire to pursue a career in film. As a teenager she dabbled with acting by starring in her father's Bengali-language film Biyer Phool and in the social drama Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat. Mukerji had her first commercial success with the action film Ghulam and breakthrough with the romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Following a brief setback, the year 2002 marked a turning point for her when she was cast by Yash Raj Films as the star of the drama Saathiya.
  Mukerji established herself by starring in several commercially successful romantic films, including Chalte Chalte, Hum Tum, Veer-Zaara, and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, and the crime comedy Bunty Aur Babli.
context_section_description: Mukerji is considered in the media as one of the most popular and accomplished actresses of Bollywood. As part of a career analysis, Sukanya Verma noted that after making an unconventional debut in films, Mukerji oscillated between success and failure for a few years before achieving "the status of a star, performer and showgirl". Indo-Asian News Service reported that during her initial years in the industry, Mukerji was written off as the successful Kajol's poor cousin for being "plump" and "short". Raja Sen opined that despite that, Mukerji "slogged her way with grit" and emerged as "the most powerful leading lady in Bollywood".
  Mukerji's directors Pradeep Sarkar and Reema Kagti have taken note of how much Mukerji prepares for her roles, with Kagti adding, "She gets obsessive about the role and wants to know everything about her character. What's her character's back-story, what is going on in her head at a specific point". Mukerji described her approach to acting in 2012:
  A month before I start shooting, I sit with my director, try to understand how he has visualised the character on the screen and take notes. Then I start working on the most basic thing — the look. It's very important that the physical appearance of the character gets decided because if I look the character, it makes it all the more believable. Once that is achieved, I go into the finer nuances of what the girl is like, her background. And then from there [...] I have to get the accent right.  
  Mukerji actively avoids typecasting, and has been credited in the media for her versatility. Hindustan Times has published that she balances between high-profile blockbusters and small-scale films. Namrata Joshi of Outlook adds that she is unafraid to take risks and portray roles that "none of her contemporaries have been able to do". Mukerji has often played roles that were considered to be a significant departure from traditional portrayals of women in mainstream Indian cinema at that time, as they engaged in pre-marital sex, extramarital affairs, mouthed expletives, and smoke and drank. The media cites her as an "unconventional beauty" — her husky voice, eyes and smile being her distinctive features. Baradwaj Rangan believes that Mukerji's unusual "sandpaper-scratchy, I'm-recovering-from-a-bad-cold" voice sets her apart from her contemporaries.
  At the peak of her career, Mukerji featured in listings of the most attractive Indian celebrities, was one of the highest-paid actresses in Bollywood, and the brand ambassador for a number of products. Filmfare featured her in their listing of the ten most powerful people in Bollywood for two consecutive years (2005–2006). In 2006 and 2012, Eastern Eye ranked her as one of Asia's sexiest women. Mukerji featured in Box Office India's top actresses listing for six years and ranked first for two consecutive years (2005–2006). She featured in Rediff.com's annual listing of the best Bollywood actresses in 2002–2007, 2012, 2014 and 2018 and topped the list for three consecutive years (2004–2006). She was also featured by Rediff.com in their listing of Bollywood's best actresses of all time in 2007. Since 2007, Mukerji's popularity was on a decline and she lost out on her brand endorsements to a number of younger actresses. In 2013, she featured among the greatest Bollywood stars in a UK poll celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema. That same year, the American Embassy in India honoured her with a special trophy for her contributions to Indian cinema. In 2015, the University of Mumbai felicitated her for her contribution to Bollywood, in 2017, she was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award by the Government of Mauritius, and in 2018, was received an award for Excellence in Cinema at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.
caption: Mukerji in 2009
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