|| Happy Birthday, Rani Mukherjee || (March 21)

21st March 1978 was the day that the Queen of Bollywood arrived in the world. Nobody knew then, that this little baby was going to grow up to be one of the most talented actresses of her generation.

Nowadays, Rani is known as one of the best actresses in Bollywood. She has done it all, her roles have varied from small town village girl, to a dumb deaf and blind girl. She has played every role with ease, and succeeded in making everyone stand up and take notice of her abilities

Let's take a look at Ranis career and how she managed to establish herself as a powerhouse of talent.

Born Actress?
Had it not been her mothers constant persuasion, Rani Mukerji would probably never have acted.
She is the in the very few people, who admit that they had no intention of joining Bollywood. It wasn't something she had dreamt of, it wasn't something she wanted. Yet, with the pressure of her mother, Rani reluctantly signed her first movie.

The Early Years
After a short cameo in Biyer Phool, Rani made her protagonist debut five years later with Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat. Although the movie didn't catapult Rani into Bollywood, it certainly gave her a stepping stone. With movie failing, Rani decided to head back to college and complete her education.

After seeing Kajols success, Rani decided to try once again. Her luck was in, as she was cast alongside Amir Khan in Ghulam. The movie was a hit, the pairing was a hit. After being a die hard fan of Amir, she was now a friend of his. Their friendship has stayed strong to this day.

Then Rani met Karan Johar.. The rest as they say, is history. After the roaring success of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, everyone knew Ranis name. Her beautiful looks, sexy outfits and the fact that she stood her own next to accomplished stars such as Shahrukh and Kajol, made her a force to be reckoned with.

Moving on from KKHH, Rani was cast in many more movies, Mehndi, Badal, Bicchoo, Hello Brother,Hal Dil Jo Pyaar Karega and Nayak to name a few. Although her fan base was growing, Rani was still to make it into the top league.

The Breakthrough...The Queen Has Arrived.
With the release of Saathiya, Rani Mukerji made herself a niche in the top actresses of the millennium. Her natural way of playing Suhani, and her enviable acting skills made the public fall in love. Rani also received her first Filmfare for Best Actress.
"(Before Saathiya) nothing that was coming my way excited me... I knew Saathiya was a special film. I felt it while making it."

The next hit was Chalte Chalte. This movie gave Rani a new look. One that would forever be her signature look. We all knew that Rani had beautiful eyes, but the heavy kohl just made them stand out even more. Since then, she is regularly seen sporting the smokey eye look. Nobody can pull this look off better than her it seems!

Rani was at the peak of her career from then. Notable performances came in the form of Yuva, Hum Tum and Veer Zaara. At this point, there was NO other actress who could beat Rani when it came to acting. She reigned like a true queen, delivering hit after hit.. after hit.




Black Lights Up Her Life
Probably THE best performance of Rani s career, Black wowed every critic and everyone who watched the movie. I don't think I have ever seen another Bollywood actress play a role, SO difficult, with SO much ease. This movie was the moment when I really became a fan of Rani. Will there ever be a performance as worthy as Black? I can't see it happening in Bollywood for a long long time.

Black was a major critical success and Rani won universal praise for her acting. Filmfare included her performance in their list of the "80 Most Iconic performances", while commenting,
"For a role that required her to be deaf, dumb and blind, Rani sure filled the silences with her stupendous presence and how. Rani has that quality of making each role her own stamping it with her instinct and force of talent. Pitted against a thespian actor like Amitabh Bachchan, Rani holds her own. Pitched with eloquence and a pathos that no one has matched in any role in coming years, Rani has left an indelible mark with this role that usually comes once in a lifetime for most"

What Goes Up, Must Come Down.
After making poor decisions with movies, Ranis crown started to slip. Duds like Tara Rum Pum, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic and Baabul saw Rani slowly climb down from her number one status. Although the movies failed, reviewers never once criticized Ranis acting. In fact, her acting was the only positive in all these movies. The failure made Rani step back and take a break from Bollywood. Her fans waited with baited breath.

"Confidence comes from the fact that I know my job. Today I may have gone through a stint wherein my films failed but they can't take away what I have. I have no complaints because even with my failures, there are achievements. If people notice when you have failed it means you have achieved a certain degree of success. "

The Queen Returns!
Rani shut up all her haters when she arrived back on the scene with Dil Bole Hadippa! Although the movie didn't break records, her performance once again won rave reviews. She slimmed down and looked as beautiful and as young as ever. Shahid Kapoor even stated that Rani was the actor and actress in the movie, and that he was just a sidestep.

NOKJ brought Rani back up in the big league. She proved that she can do it better than any of the current crop and worked her magic with Vidya Balan.




Highlights!
Rani is the only member of Bollywood to have been invited for a dinner with Pervez Musharraf.
"It was like a dream come true for me. I had a wonderful time. To just be part of such an event made me feel that, yes, I've done something to achieve this"

Rani was included in the dinner because she was at that point of time Begum Sehba Musharraf's favourite actor.

In 2010, Rani handed the coveted Mother Teresa Award to the Dalai Lama in honor of his work to promote human rights in Tiber and elsewhere, as well as inter-religious dialogue.

Rani – The Muse
Perhaps one of the most sought after designers nowadays, it was Rani Mukerji who helped propell Sabyasachi into the spotlight. Sabyasachi says
"I very carefully plug my sensibilities into the important films of the year, because at the end of the day, somebody who has made me a super brand in mass India is Rani Mukherjee. I am still regarded as Rani Mukherjee's tailor. Every wedding that I go to, I am perceived of as famous because I have something to do with Rani."

"When Rani and me had our association, I was a nobody and Rani was the number one actress in Bollywood. Also, one of the reasons Rani and Vidya have connected me to mass India is because they are identifiable actresses. There is a huge difference between a Katrina Kaif and a Rani Mukherjee, an Aishwarya Rai and a Vidya Balan"

Being an avid fan of his from day one, Sabyasachi has moulded many of Ranis characters. Black was when the Rani and Sabyasachi magic really happened.

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Rani Mukerji has proved that you don't have to be a beauty queen, you don't have to be seen at every function or party, and you don't have to assign yourself to the same character to be a successful woman in Bollywood. She has set the benchmark when it comes to acting and dancing. There will never be a performance as memorable as Black and there will never be an actress as commercially and critically successful as Rani Mukerji.

Here's wishing her luck and love for the year ahead. Long Rein The Queen!