#HappyBirthday: Top 5 Roles of Rani Mukerji!

Yesterday, March 21, 2016, marked Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji’s 38th birthday. As B-town’s newest mom and the Chopra bahu, Rani has been in the film industry for many years, with several remarkable movies to her credit. Here are the top 5 roles of this B-town queen!

1. Michelle McNally (Black)

In this Hellen Keller inspired film, Rani Mukerji essays the role of Michelle, a blind and deaf girl who is trapped in a world of darkness until she comes across Debraj Sahai (Amitabh Bachchan), who offers to be her teacher. Needless to say, it is not easy to pull off a role like this, that too with a perfectionist director like Sanjay Leela Bhansali. This film truly proved Rani’s versatility in acting.

2. Saamiya Siddiqui (Veer Zaara)

In Yash Chopra’s romance flick Veer Zaara, Rani plays a lawyer, who convinces Veer (SRK) to fight for his identity. Rani was so convincing in this film that after watching it, I wanted to become a lawyer too! Even though she was a supporting actress in this film, she definitely had one of the most powerful performances!

3. Vibhavari Sahay (Laaga Chunari Mein Daag)

One of the lesser known and somewhat underrated films of 2007, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag is a story about a family and the choices and sacrifices they must make to earn a living. Rani is seen as the family’s older daughter, Vibhavari, and she displays her character’s anguish and frustration to perfection.

4. Vimmi “Babli” Saluja (Bunty Aur Babli)

One of my all time favorite Bollywood films, Rani features in Bunty Aur Babli as Vimmi, an ordinary middle-class Punjabi girl with extraordinary dreams of becoming famous. This film was unique and required real versatility in acting because the lead actors had to keep switching characters throughout the film while still being true to their original roles. Rani’s onscreen chemistry with Abhishek Bachchan in this film was fabulous, making the film an amazing rom-com!

5. Gulab (Saawariya)

Saawariya was a Bhansali film that was not very well-received among viewers and at the box office. Yet, if watched with a critical eye, there is much to analyze in this film. Rani plays Gulab, a prostitute at RK Bar who becomes friends with Ranbir Raj (Ranbir Kapoor). Gulab is quite a complex character in this film. She is often seen in a negative light by others because of what she does, yet she is vulnerable, craving for the same human emotions as everyone else. Rani does a wonderful job as Gulab, which is a powerful but difficult role to essay.