Three superstars. Three very different energies. And one actor who has seen them up close. As Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan turned 60 this year, conversations around their legacy have only
grown louder. Few actors can say they have worked with all three. Rani Mukerji is one of them. In a recent chat with Galatta Plus, the actor looked back at her time with each Khan and spoke about how different they are once the camera starts rolling. Rani first worked with Aamir in Ghulam (1998). She remembered how surreal it felt. “When I met Aamir and saw him work in Ghulam, it was incredible. I had watched him in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak as a young girl and had a huge crush on him. He was so cute in QSQT. I think I crushed on Juhi equally.” She added, “When I was signed for Ghulam, I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to work with such a big star.’ But what struck me most was the dedication he brought to every shot—the sensitivity, the seriousness, and how much of himself he gave to the performance. These were my early days in the industry, and I imbibed all of that.” For her, Aamir’s seriousness left a deep mark. After Aamir, she shared screen space with Shah Rukh in films like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Chalte Chalte. “After that, I worked with Shah Rukh. I had seen him in DDLJ as a young girl. It released in 1995, the same year I was shooting my first film, Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat. Working with these two mega stars felt surreal.” What stayed with her most was his warmth. “Shah Rukh comes with this gentle, sensitive energy. He treated me like a baby—I was barely 18 when I worked with him—and he still calls me ‘baby’ to this day. Like Aamir, Shah Rukh is extremely focused on giving his best shot. They were like my teachers on set.” Her experience with Salman was very different. “When I met Salman, it was a 360-degree turn,” she said. “His dedication to his craft is very different. He walks in with this swag and a bindas attitude. You might feel like he’s not really ‘there’, but he is absolutely present.” Rani explained further, “He’s so good-looking that when he walks on set, everyone just looks at him. He’s very casual about his work, but he works incredibly hard. People don’t recognise it because he doesn’t let them into that zone. He’s constantly contributing—talking about the scene, doing something different.” Looking back at all three, she concluded, “They are three stalwarts in their own right, and they approach their work very differently. But at the core, all three are equally committed, passionate, and lovable. I love all three of them equally—they each hold a special place in my heart.”
