Rani Mukerji

Rani Mukerji married filmmaker Aditya Chopra in a private Bengali ceremony in Italy on 21 April 2014. They have one daughter, Adira, who was born in December 2015. Mukerji took a four-year break from acting after her daughter's birth to focus on her family, and later returned to films with Hichki.

Mukerji is the daughter of former film director Ram Mukherjee and former playback singer Krishna Mukherjee. Her elder brother, Raja Mukherjee, is a film producer and director. Her extended family includes actress Debashree Roy, actress Kajol and filmmaker Ayan Mukerji. She studied Home Science at SNDT Women's University and is trained in Odissi dance.

Mukerji began acting at age 18 in her father Ram Mukherjee's Bengali film Biyer Phool and the Hindi social drama Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat, both released in 1996. In Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat, she played a rape survivor who is forced to marry her attacker. Her performance earned her a special recognition trophy at the Screen Awards, although the film performed poorly commercially.

Her first commercial success came with Vikram Bhatt's Ghulam in 1998, in which she appeared opposite Aamir Khan. The song “Aati Kya Khandala” brought her widespread public recognition. Later that year, Karan Johar cast her as Tina Malhotra in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. The film became the highest-grossing Hindi film of 1998, and Mukerji won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

After a period of uneven releases, Mukerji's career changed direction with Saathiya in 2002. She played medical student Suhani Sharma, a young wife dealing with the difficulties of marriage. The role earned her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and established her as a performer capable of taking on more emotionally demanding parts.

Her successful run continued with Chalte Chalte, Hum Tum, Veer-Zaara, Bunty Aur Babli and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. In 2004, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Hum Tum and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Yuva. She became the first actress to win both awards in the same year.

Mukerji's performance as the blind and deaf Michelle McNally in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black became one of her most acclaimed roles. She prepared for the part by studying sign language with professionals at the Helen Keller Institute in Mumbai. Her work earned her both the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.

Mukerji returned to major success with No One Killed Jessica in 2011, playing the fictional journalist Meera Gaity in the film based on the Jessica Lal murder case. She followed it with a supporting role in Talaash: The Answer Lies Within and the lead role of police officer Shivani Shivaji Roy in Mardaani. To prepare for Mardaani, she met senior Mumbai police officials and learned the Israeli self-defence technique Krav Maga.

In Hichki (2018), Mukerji played Naina Mathur, an aspiring teacher with Tourette syndrome who works with underprivileged children. She studied the condition and worked on making the character's motor and vocal tics appear spontaneous. The film became her highest-grossing release and marked her return to acting after her four-year hiatus.

She reprised her role as Shivani Shivaji Roy in Mardaani 2 and later appeared in Bunty Aur Babli 2. In Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway, she portrayed a Bengali immigrant mother whose children are taken away by Norwegian child-welfare authorities. The performance won her the National Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, along with further Filmfare and IIFA recognition.

Mukerji has supported causes involving women, children and education. She served as an ambassador for Shiksha, a joint initiative of Procter & Gamble and Child Rights and You that promoted children's education. In 2011, she established a stroke treatment fund with the Indian Stroke Association to help financially disadvantaged patients.

She has also participated in charity concerts, telethons and public campaigns. Her activities have included the 2005 HELP! Telethon Concert for victims of the Indian Ocean earthquake, fundraising for the “Because I am a Girl” campaign and appearances supporting child-trafficking awareness. She received a PETA India Hero to Animals Award and has supported cancer initiatives and the Teach For India programme.