When Rani Mukerji promised to be 'friends forever' with Aishwarya Rai and said, 'You know I love you..'

They say two leading heroines can never be friends. However, back in the late 90s, Rani Mukerji and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan changed this narrative. Both actresses were enjoying great success. From Aishwarya Rai establishing herself with movies like ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ and ‘Devdas,’ Rani had ‘Saathiya’ and ‘Ghulam’ under her belt. Their success did draw a wedge between them; in fact, back then, in a video clip, Rani Mukerji confessed her love for Aishwarya and promised to be her friend forever.

When Rani Mukerji promised to be friends forever with Aishwarya Rai

During an episode of ‘Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai,’ Aishwarya arrived as a guest. In the same episode, Rani was supposed to make a surprise entrance, but owing to her bad health, she could not. However, she sent a heartwarming video message.


Addressing Aishwarya as ‘Aishu Maa,’ Rani said, “You know I love you. I am really sorry I couldn't come for the show because I am unwell. As you know, I am always unwell, I couldn't make it to Delhi. Just to let you know that I love you, you mean a lot to me. I just love you Aishu Maa.”

“I just want to say one thing, that we are going to be friends forever. I love you," Rani concluded.

However, things changed reportedly when Shah Rukh Khan chose Rani Mukerji over Aishwarya Rai for 'Chalte Chalte.' Yet, this video message tugs at the heartstrings of the audience, who would love to see both actresses sharing the screen.

Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji’s first National Award

Fast forward to 2025, Rani Mukerji won ‘Best Actress’ for ‘Mrs Chatterjee Vs. Norway.’ Also, her 'Chalte Chalte' co-star Shah Rukh Khan bagged the title of ‘Best Actor’ for ‘Jawan,’ which he shared with Vikrant Massey for ‘12th Fail.’ And that is not it, fans were in for another surprise as the duo came together in a video where they danced to a romantic song from Aryan Khan's upcoming web series, ‘The Ba**ds of Bollywood.’

In the clip, Shah Rukh, dressed casually in jeans and a blue sweatshirt, performs despite having an injured hand, while Rani looks chic in a white shirt and blue jeans. Shah Rukh shared the video with a congratulatory message for Rani, calling her a queen and expressing their shared joy over the National Award. He expressed, "National award… hum dono ki adhoori khwahish poori ho gayi… yay… congratulations Rani, you are a queen and love you always."