Rani Mukerji is an actress making her acting debut with Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat in 1997, she received her first award at the Star Screen Awards for Best Fresh Talent. The following year she was featured in two successful films. For her third movie, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), she earned the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 44th Filmfare Awards. She also collected the Zee Cine Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and the Lux Face of the Year accolades at the Zee Cine Awards. Following this, she was signed on for several movies, some of which were critically and commercially successful films, such as Hey Ram (2000) which was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars and Badal (2000) which was one of the highest grossing films of that year.
Mukerji was then noted for her role in Shaad Ali's Saathiya (2002). Her portrayal of a medical student who struggles with married life at a young age in the film made her earn her first Filmfare Best Actress nomination and she also won her first Filmfare Critics Best Actress Award that same night. The role garnered her several Best Actress nominations at major award ceremonies, including organizations like, International Indian Film Academy (IIFA), Zee Cine and Screen which also bestowed her with a Special Jury Award. She again garnered critical acclaim and commercial success with Chalte Chalte (2003), Yuva (2004), Hum Tum (2004), Veer-Zaara (2004), Black (2005), Bunty Aur Babli (2005), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), Laaga Chunari Mein Daag (2007), Saawariya (2007), No One Killed Jessica (2011), Talaash: The Answer Lies Within (2012) and Mardaani (2014). All these movies earned her nominations and wins at major award ceremonies, of which Hum Tum (2004) and Black (2005) won her two Filmfare Awards for Best Actress and the latter also gave her the Filmfare Critics Best Actress Award. She won Best Supporting Actress for Yuva (2004) and No One Killed Jessica (2011) respectively. She also received the Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1 for two consecutive years for her pairing opposite Abhishek Bachchan in Bunty Aur Babli (2005) and Shah Rukh Khan in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006).