Mukerji's first film of 2001, "Chori Chori Chupke Chupke", was released after controversy over the film's funding by the Mumbai underworld delayed it by a few months. The film was based on surrogacy and marked her second collaboration with Salman Khan and Zinta. Film critic Sukanya Verma found Mukerji to be "handicapped with a role that doesn't give her much scope besides weeping and sobbing" and preferred the "meatier" role of Zinta. In "Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai" and "", films that failed to gain a wide audience theatrically, Mukerji played the love interests of Abhishek Bachchan and Anil Kapoor respectively. In a review for the latter film, Sarita Tanwar of Rediff.com bemoaned that she had "very little to do except being part of some magnificently picturised songs". An article in "Mint" summarised that a majority of her roles post "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" were "inconsequential".