Thoda Rani Mukerji Thoda Magic. Happy Birthday@ 41

Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji is still ruling our hearts! It seems like only yesterday when the actress took Bollywood by storm as Tina in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. She became more selective with her movies and we are so eagerly waiting for her next. As Rani celebrates her 41st birthday today, here's a look at her journey in pictures.

Rani Mukerji was born on March 21, 1978 in Mumbai. She went to Maneckji Cooper High School and graduated in Home Science from SNDT Women's University.

Rani comes from a film-oriented Bengali family. Her late father Ram Mukherji founded the Filmalaya Studios while mother Krishna was a playback singer. Her brother Raja is a film producer-turned-director. Her maternal aunt Debashree Roy is a renowned Bengali actress. Rani's cousins are actresses Kajol, Sharbani and Tannishaa and director Ayan Mukerji.

Rani made her acting debut when she was 14 in the Bengali film Biyer Phool (1992). She made her Bollywood debut playing the lead role of a rape survivor in Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat in 1996. Later, she returned back to college to complete her education.

After a two year hiatus, Rani was cast as the glamorous Tina in Karan Johar's debut movie as a director Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), opposite Shah Rukh Khan and cousin Kajol. And the rest, as they say, is history!

She also won a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the movie.

Rani starred opposite Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan in Ghulam in the same year. The hit song Aati Kya Khandala is still very popular today.

Rani's early successes were then followed by a string of forgettable films. Although Badal, opposite Bobby Deol and Hello Brother, also featuring Salman Khan, were box office hits in 1999 and 2000, she still had a long way to go.

In 2001, Rani starred in Abbas Mustan's romantic drama Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, co-starring Salman Khan and Preity Zinta.

The actress next played the lead in Kunal Kohli's romanctic-drama Mujhse Dosti Karoge (2002), with Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor. It was the first of her many collaborations with Yash Raj Films.

Rani then starred in Shaad Ali's critically-acclaimed Saathiya (2002), opposite Vivek Oberoi. She won a Filmfare Critics' Award for Best Performance, and among several other nominations, received her first Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare. The film proved to be a turning point in Rani's career.

Rani's first 2003 release was Aziz Mirza's drama Chalte Chalte, opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Her role was similar to her character in Saathiya and she received her second nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award.

In 2004, her performance as a Bengali housewife in Mani Ratnam's Yuva won Rani her second Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.

Next up was the romantic comedy Hum Tum (2004), opposite Saif Ali Khan, which became one of the biggest hits of the year. The film, based on the 1989 film When Harry Met Sally, was directed by Kunal Kohli. Rani finally received her first Filmfare Best Actress Award.

Yash Chopra's love saga Veer-Zaara (2004), alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta, had Rani playing the role of a lawyer.

Rani's most critically-acclaimed performance was as the visually-challenged, hearing and speech impaired Michelle McNally in Black (2005). It earned her the Filmfare Best Actress Award for the second year in a row.

In 2005, Rani starred in three other high-profile films: Shaad Ali's Bunty Aur Babli, Amol Palekar's Paheli and Ketan Mehta's Mangal Pandey: The Rising.

The actress was offered the lead role in Mira Nair's Hollywood film The Namesake but turned it down because the shooting schedule clashed with that of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006). The film with an ensemble cast had her share screen space with Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Kirron Kher.

Rani's first 2007 release, Ta Ra Rum Pum, where she played a pianist-turned-housewife, was a semi-hit.

Critical and commercial failures like Pradeep Sarkar's drama Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya failed to do justice to Rani's talent.

Rani's role in Kunal Kohli's Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (2008) received positive reviews.

Rani stunned everyone as she sported a bikini in Dil Bole Hadippa (2009), where she featured opposite Shahid Kapoor. But the film turned out to be a box office dud.

In 2011, Rani made a comeback of sorts in No One Killed Jessica with actress Vidya Balan. Directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, the movie earned Rani another Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

2012 was a great year for the actress as she had two major releases. Rani received good reviews for her acting chops in Anurag Kashyap's production venture Aiyyaa, although the film failed to make an impact at the box office.

Rani received rave reviews for her performance in Bombay Talkies (2013).

In 2014, Rani Mukerji featured as a police officer in Yash Raj Films' Mardaani. The film was a sleeper hit and gained appreciation for addressing the hard hitting subject of human trafficking in an apt way. Post Mardaani, Rani was invited worldwide to speak on the subject of women safety.

Rani and filmmaker Aditya Chopra have been one of Bollywood's most-secretive couples. And therefore, it came to no one's surprise when she married him in Italy in 2014. The wedding was a family and close-friends event only. Even post her marriage, Rani Mukerji, who has retained her maiden name, has hardly even been photographed with her husband.

Rani Mukerji and Aditya Chopra became proud parents to a baby girl Adira on December 9, 2015. Adira is Rani and Aditya's first child together.

This image was posted on Twitter by yrf

Rani was last seen in 2018 release Hichki, a film which fetched her much critical acclaim. In the film, she plays Naina Mathur, a teacher who struggles with Tourette syndrome! Here's wishing Rani Mukerji a very happy birthday and a great year ahead!