"The family is deeply grateful for your love."
On September 22, 2026, Rani Mukerji’s mother, Krishna Mukerji, passed away. She was 75 years old.
Krishna was married to the filmmaker Ram Mukerji, who directed classics such as Hum Hindustani (1960), which featured Sunil Dutt, and Leader (1964), starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala.
Rani was born to Krishna and Ram in 1978, and she made her acting debut in Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat (1996), for which Ram was one of the producers.
Krishna was also a renowned singer and often accompanied Mohammad Rafi during concerts.
During one such concert, before performing the duet, ‘Jo Waada Kiya’, Rafi declared:
“To perform along with Rafi Sahab, a very successful stage singer of our country is coming in front of you.
“Presenting Krishna Mukerji!”
In 2014, Rani Mukerji married the filmmaker, Aditya Chopra, who runs Yash Raj Films.
The following year, the couple welcomed a daughter named Adira.
Following Krishna’s death, Yash Raj Films issued the following statement:
“With heavy hearts, we share that Rani Mukerji’s mother, Mrs Krishna Mukerji, aged 75, passed away this afternoon.
“The family is deeply grateful for your love, prayers, and support, and respectfully requests privacy during this time of immense grief.”
In a previous interview, Rani shared her mother’s surprising reaction to her screen test for Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat.
The actress said: “So for my mother, it was like, ‘You do it and see how it goes’.
“Though after my first screen test, she found me so bad that she told the producer, ‘I think you’ll ruin your film by taking my daughter. You’ll go through losses. Better you don’t take her’.
“Because the producer was very keen to sign me.
“But my mother was smart enough to understand that I was not doing a good job.
“So she was like, ‘I don’t think you should take her’.”
However, Rani’s performance in the film got her noticed, and she cemented her position as a talented actress in subsequent films.
These included Ghulam (1998) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), with Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, respectively.
On the work front, Rani Mukerji was last seen in Mardaani 3 (2026).
She will next appear in Siddharth Anand’s King, in which she will reunite with Shah Rukh Khan, after her cameo in Zero (2018).
King is scheduled to be released on December 24, 2026.
The film will also star Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Suhana Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Jaideep Ahlawat, and Raghav Juyal.
