Mukerji next accepted a leading role in Sachin Kundalkar's comedy of manners "Aiyyaa" (2012). She played a woman with a heightened sense of smell who develops a one-sided attraction towards Prithviraj's character. Critically and commercially unsuccessful, Rediff.com criticised her decision to star in the film, writing that she "gets no support from the way her character is written". Greater success came for her portrayal of Roshni Shekhawat, a mother grieving the death of her child, in Reema Kagti's psychological thriller "". Co-starring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor, the film had worldwide earnings of over to emerge as the year's eighth highest-grossing Hindi film. Ronnie Schieb of "Variety" described Mukerji as "vivid in a quietly sympathetic role", and she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination at Filmfare.