Happy Birthday Rani Mukerji: Lesser Known facts About the "Mardaani" Actress [PHOTOS]

Rani Mukerji, one of Bollywood's leading actresses, turns 37 on 21 March. Though she doesn't appear in many films these days, the actress still has the magic to woo her fans with one film.

Recently, the female oriented flick "Mardaani" garnered her appreciation from all over. The diva, who was initially criticized for her voice, achieved several awards with her original voice in the film.

Here are few lesser-known facts about the birthday girl:

• Believe it or not, she is the only person in the film industry who was invited to a dinner in honour of Pakistan's former President Pervez Musharraf.
• Rani, who has never focused on dancing in her earlier films, is a trained Odissi dancer.
• Two films, "Paheli" in 2005 and "Hey Ram" in 2000, surprisingly made their entry to the Academy Awards.
• Rani turned down the offer of Mira Nair's "The Namesake" due to date clash with KJo's "Kabhie Alvida Naa Kehna." Later, it went to Tabu who did wonders with her performance. 
• When she was 14 years, she made a cameo in her father's Bengali flick "Biyer Phool". She played the character of 'Mili', the younger sister of the lead protagonist.

Rani has always accepted challenging roles. From 'Mardaani' to 'No One killed Jessica' to 'Laga Chunari Mein Daag' to her old film 'Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat', she has depicted the strong woman.