The ultimate queen of Bollywood, Rani Mukerji is one of the most versatile actresses in Indian cinema. From portraying a shy girl next door in Saathiya to her role of a deaf and blind woman in Black, Rani has proved her brilliance on the silver screen. Born to the Mukherjee-Samarth family, Rani is the daughter of former filmmaker, Ram Mukherjee and former playback singer, Krishna Mukherjee. Actress Kajol and director, Ayan Mukerji are her second cousins.
Though Rani Mukerji dabbled in her acting career with her father’s film, Biyer Phool, she ventured into Bollywood with the social drama Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat in 1996. Rani’s first commercial film was Ghulam and she got a breakthrough with Karan Johar’s Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. With films like Hum Tum, Veer-Zaara, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Bunty Aur Babli, No One Killed Jessica, Talaash, Mardaani and Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, Rani established her mark in Bollywood.
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Talking about Rani Mukerji’s personal life, the actress is happily married to the scion on Yash Raj Films, Aditya Chopra, and the couple has a daughter named Adira. Although Rani is happily settled in her personal life, the actress had her fair share of linkups. She was linked with some of the A-listed actors of Bollywood, but the most talked about affair of the actress was with actor, Abhishek Bachchan. However, the two reportedly broke up abruptly, and there were multiple rumours pertaining to the breakup. Let us see what went wrong in Rani and Abhishek’s relationship and how they became the lost jodi of Bollywood.
Rani Mukerji and Abhishek Bachchan started working together in 2001 with the film, Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai. The duo delivered some of the most memorable hits like Bunty Aur Babli, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Yuva. During that time, their on-screen chemistry fueled reports of the couple’s off-screen romance. Rani also shared a very comfortable bond with the Bachchan clan and was often spotted with Abhishek and his family.
Neither Rani nor Abhishek have ever addressed the speculations of their affair, it was their common friend, Priyanka Chopra, who had once shared a hilarious incident about them. During her appearance at the popular celebrity talk show, Rendezvous With Simi Garewal, Priyanka shared a hilarious anecdote from her working days with Abhishek Bachchan. The actress had labelled Abhishek as ‘mad’ and had hilariously recalled how she had once sent a message to Rani Mukerji from Abhishek Bachchan’s smartphone. When Simi had asked Priyanka what she had written in the message, Priyanka had stated:
“He (Abhishek Bachchan) stole mine phone first. He sat on it. Eventually, he couldn’t sit any longer in the van because he had to get out. I abducted his phone and hid it. I sent a message to somebody from his phone…Just that ‘I miss you, where have you been? You wanna.”
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Going further in the candid conversation, the show’s host, Simi Garewal, asked Priyanka Chopra to reveal Rani Mukerji’s reply to the ‘I miss you’ message that she had sent from Abhishek Bachchan’s phone. Answering this, Priyanka had mimicked Rani Mukerji and had hilariously stated:
“Hi AB, what is wrong with you?”
Click here to watch the video.
While everyone was certain that Rani Mukerji would become the Bachchan clan’s bahu, Abhishek’s engagement to Aishwarya Rai shocked everyone. It not only put an end to all the speculations but also left Rani and Abhishek’s fans heartbroken. In April 2007, Abhishek got married to Aishwarya Rai, and Rani was not even invited for the same.
Although Rani took the breakup bravely, she was very hurt for not getting the wedding invitation from her ‘once close friends’. In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Rani had opened up about the same and had shared:
“Only Abhishek can throw light on that. The truth is that if a person chooses not to invite you to their wedding, you realise where you stand with the person. You may be deluded and think you are friends but maybe the friendship was only restricted to being co-stars on the sets. It doesn’t matter. It became very clear and evident that we were only co-actors and not friends. Poor guy has been married for many years, we should all move on. I will always have fond memories of working with him.”
There have been many speculations pertaining to Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji’s breakup, but it was widely reported that the main reason was Jaya Bachchan. As per various rumours, Jaya was never in favour of Abhishek and Rani’s alliance. As Jaya opposed their relationship, Abhishek dumped Rani and moved on.
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As per a few other reports, it was Rani Mukerji’s film, Black, which turned the tables for Rani and Abhishek. The film, which also starred Amitabh Bachchan, had a scene in which Rani had a lip kiss with Big B, and it reportedly created a furore in the Bachchan clan. Rani Mukerji and Amitabh Bachchan’s lip kiss irked Jaya Bachchan, and she asked her son, Abhishek, to end his relationship with her.
After Abhishek and Aishwarya’s wedding, he starred in the film, Laga Chunari Mein Daag with Rani Mukerji. Interestingly, the film also featured Jaya Bachchan, and apparently, on the sets, there was a lot of bitterness between Rani and Jaya. Jaya Bachchan formed a group with Konkona Sen Sharma, while Rani kept to herself. According to a report in India Forums, a source close to Rani Mukerji revealed how Jaya would often tease the actress and piss her off. Talking about one such incident, the source stated:
"Once in between shots, as Jaya and Konkona were sitting separately from Rani, the veteran actress looking and hinting at Rani, asked Konkona whether she would lend her infectious laughter to her for a day. To which, Konkona replied with a huge laugh. This pissed off Rani further. Since then a lot of tension is felt on the sets whenever they are around."
With time, Rani and Jaya settled their differences and have often been spotted being cordial to each other. The two Bengali actresses have often posed for pictures during Durga Puja celebrations, letting the bygones be bygones.
Rani Mukerji and Abhishek Bachchan have been among the most loved on-screen jodis, and the characters they portrayed have often resonated with the audience.
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