Rani Mukerji reveals parents wanted to get her married at young age, said yes to films to improve financial condition

Rani Mukerji reflected on the beginning of her career in a special interaction with Karan Johar to mark 30 years of her entry in Bollywood.

Actor Rani Mukerji completes 30 years in the film industry this year. Her first film - Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat - released in 1996 and completes three decades this year. Over the years, Rani has become one of the most celebrated and acclaimed actors of her generation, but she recently revealed that her career started by accident and without a plan.

Rani Mukerji with her parents Ram and Krishna Mukherjee.

Rani Mukerji on he early life

To mark Rani’s 30 years in cinema, the actor interacted with friend and filmmaker Karan Johar at Yash Raj Films Studios on Thursday morning. As the filmmaker quizzed her about her childhood, Rani revealed that even though she came from a film family - her father Ram Mukherjee was a filmmaker - the household made just enough to ‘make ends meet’. Rani added that her parents never thought she’d work. “I don’t think they even had dreams (for me),” Rani said, adding, “At the time we were growing up, it was never really something that occurred to my dad that I was going to work. It was (considered) more of a boy’s responsibility. That responsibility they saw through my brother. With me, it was very clear. They wanted to get me married at a very young age.”

Ram Mukherjee was a screenwriter, director, and producer who came from an illustrious film family. His cousins, Deb Mukherjee and Joy Mukherjee, were popular actors, and his uncle, Shashadhar Mukherjee, was one of the pioneers of cinema in Bombay. Ram was best known for directing Dilip Kumar’s Leader.

Rani Mukerji's film debut

Rani recalled that, despite her parents’ best-laid plans, she made her Bollywood debut with Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, which was produced by Salim Akhtar, a friend of her father. “Destiny had other plans for me,” Rani recalled, “With the offer that came for Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, my mum just told me, ‘Salim uncle is a family friend, and he has offered you a film. Why don’t you take it up?’”

Rani said that in hindsight, her mother agreed to the offer for financial reasons. “I didn’t realise it then that probably my mum was finding a way to make the financial situation in my house better. Because they knew that if I do well in this field, it would be good for us. But at that time, I didn’t see it from that angle,” the actor added.

While Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat did not work at the box office, it got Rani noticed, leading to Ghulam and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which kickstarted her career in mainstream Bollywood. The actor returns to screen this year with Mardaani 3, which releases in theatres on January 30.