Sonali Bendre shares her journey in the ‘Mecca’ of Hindi films-Bollywood
Sonali Bendre shares her journey in the ‘Mecca’ of Hindi films-Bollywood
Actress Sonali Bendre when she made her entry, she did not have any connections in the industry, either someone in the family part of the industry ir a when she set her foot in the acting arena took up the challenge and carved her own path in showbiz.
The actress credits her upbringing for making her the way she is. Reflecting on it, she says, she is the proverbial outsider and hails from a family that’s into education.
Also, since her father was in government service, the entire family would move to a new city every two years and start all over again. She doesn’t have childhood friends to go back to. This almost-nomadic lifestyle, while unsettling at times, instilled within her a sense of independence.
She went on to explain that being able to be with myself and not needing people constantly gave her immense inner strength when she entered this industry.”
Navigating through the competitive landscape of B’town, Sonali found herself on the outside, which she believes gave her an edge.
On a film set where people knew each other, she was a complete outsider.
Sonali further adds that even today, when the Behls (her husband Goldie Behl’s family) get together and discuss movies, she still doesn’t feel like an insider. Goldie asks her for her opinion about a script as he finds that she still have that outsider’s point of view, which aligns more with the audience.
Now, with her son (Ranveer) studying abroad, she is getting more involved with her production house. The actress has always enjoyed exploring other mediums.
Recounting her stint on stage, she says, “While she was eight-and-ahalf months pregnant, she acted in Farooq Shaikh and Shabana Azmi’s play, Tumhari Amrita. She was scared because look at the actors she was going to work with. However, she never wanted to let go of the opportunity due to fear and regret later.
The idea was to learn from the experience of working with a wonderful team.” Sonali, who made a fullfledged comeback to acting after a break with the web series The Broken News in 2022, is candid about her insecurities as an actor. She wasn’t trained in acting, and she miss that. She is insecure about not having all the tools as an actor.
The Broken News was very important for her, because she wanted to make a comeback with a certain kind of role that sets the tone for her next chapter and that’s exactly what it has done,” she signs off.
She made her acting debut with the film ‘Aag’ in the year 1994 and received the Filmfare Award for her debut performance. In 2015, Sonali Bendre published her first book ‘The Modern Gurukul: My Experiments with Parenting.’
Her father, Jit Bendre used to work in CPWD. Her mother, Roopsi Bendre is a homemaker. She has two sisters, Rupa Randive and Gandhali Bendre.
She is married to Goldie Behl and are parents to a son, Ranveer Behl.
Her hobbies include cooking, writing, travelling, and collecting antique items.
Her favourite actresses are Madhuri Dixit, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, and Kareena Kapoor.
Her favourite films are, Diljale, Ashiqui 2, Ye Jawani Hai Deewani, Paan Singh Tomar, Austin Powers, and As Good As It Gets.
Her favourite books are ‘Draupadi’ by Pratibha Ray, ‘Paradise’ by Toni Morrison, and ‘The Bluest Eye’ by Toni Morrison.
Her favourite writers are, Isabel Allende, Devdutt Pattanaik, Anand Neelakantan, Ravi Subramanyam, Toni Morrison, Patrick Rothfuss, Isaac Asimov, and Elif Shafak.
Sonali’s favourite travelling destination is Europe.
Sonali Bendre never considered making a career in the entertainment industry. Her friends in college encouraged her to take up modelling assignments ,
Sonali Bendre has served as a judge in reality TV shows like, India’s Best Dramabaaz, Dance India Dance, India’s Best Dancer, and India’s Got Talent.
News Edit K.V.Raman
