Although Mukerji was born into the Mukherjee-Samarth family, in which her parents and relatives were members of the Indian film industry, she did not aspire to pursue a career in film. As a teenager she dabbled with acting by starring in her father's Bengali-language film "Biyer Phool" and in the social drama "Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat" (both 1996). Mukerji had her first commercial success with the action film "Ghulam" (1998) and breakthrough with the romance "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" (1998). Following a brief setback, the year 2002 marked a turning point for her when she was cast by Yash Raj Films as the star of the drama "Saathiya".