Rani Mukherjee

Article Updated 21 June, 2003 05:24:09 PM IST

Rani Mukherjee

Our Star of the Week is Miss Rani Mukherjee, a beautiful, bubbly, Bengali girl who has made her way into the hearts of cinema goers worldwide. Her grey-green eyes and warm, infectious smile have graced the silver screen for some time now. It's well known that the driving force behind Rani's becoming an actress was her mother, Krishna.

And even though she has several famous relatives in the industry, - her father, Ram Mukherjee (founder of Filmalaya Studios), cousin Kajol, uncles Joy Mukherjee (actor) and Biswajeet (actor), to name a few, she hasn't counted on any one of them to bring her success. Instead, her hard-working and passionate attitude has brought her to where she is today - one of Bollywood's top ten actresses. I find her to be one of the few who can believably execute a tearful emotional scene (Saathiya).

Miss Mukherjee has appeared in commercial ads ranging from Lux Soap to Fanta's Orange Soda. She began her film career with the Bengali film Biyar Phool. Her Hindi film career, however, began in 1997 at the age of 19 in Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat with Shadaab Khan. Although this film didn't receive the desired triumph she hoped for, Rani overcame the disappointment and became a household name the following year. Everyone soon began singing Aati Kya Khandala from the movie Ghulam, where she played opposite another actor named Khan, Aamir, this time. That year she also won Filmfare's Best Supporting Actress Award for her role as Tina Malhotra in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, where she played opposite yet another famous Khan - Shah Rukh. But this would not be their last shared stage as co-stars. Five years and some sixteen films later, Aziz Mirza brought them together again for this summer's blockbuster hit, Chalte Chalte.

And what a performance Rani has given by putting her heart and soul into the character of Priya. She comments, "Acting should be done from the heart. You have to feel every given emotion, and perform with ease and sincerity." That is clearly seen by the tremendous success Chalte Chalte is having after only a week's time. Extra showings have been added to several venues in response to the mass appeal. It has been long awaited, but finally Rani's dreams have come true. One can see how much it touches her by the glowing expression on her face and the lilt in her voice when she talks about it. "It feels great!"

As an actress she is content. But there are no plans in the future to be anything else - say - director or producer. "Life for me is beautiful and enchanting." But with all this popularity, how does she keep from going on an ego trip? She says the credit is owed to her parents for constantly banging on her head to make sure it stays attached to her shoulders.

What does she see when she looks back on her career? "I'm happy with whatever progress I have made. I'm trying to live up to all the expectations of all my fans." And that, Rani certainly has done. We look with great anticipation to her forthcoming films, Chori Chori, and Calcutta Mail.

Any life philosophies for us Rani? "Keep smiling and spread the word of love, as it always grows!"

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