Sonali Bendre

Biography:

Sonali Bendre is a well-known Indian actress who was born on January 1st, 1975. She has also appeared in a few Telugu and Tamil films. Prior to making her acting debut with Aag (1994), she worked as a model. For her role, she won the Filmfare Award for New Face of the Year and the Screen Award for Best Female Debut. In financially successful movies like Diljale (1996), Major Saab (1998), Sarfarosh (1999), and Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999), Bendre portrayed the leading heroine. She received the Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2000 for her work in Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai.

Additionally, Bendre contributed to the 1999 Tamil film Kadhalar Dhinam and the 2001 Telugu film Murari. For the latter, she was nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu. Her other Telugu movies include Shankar Dada MBBS (2004), Indra, Khadgam, and Manmadhudu (all from 2002). Additionally, Bendre appeared in the 2003 Marathi movie Anahat. Then there was a break from acting. Since then, she has participated as a judge in a number of reality competitions and has been in the television series The Broken News (2022) and Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Ye (2014).

Before participating in the Star Dust Talent Search, Bendre worked as a model. At the age of 19, she made her cinematic debut in 1994 with Aag.She received the Screen Award for Best Female Debut and the Filmfare Award for Lux New Face of the Year for this. She also starred in Naaraaz that year, for which she received Filmfare’s Sensational Debut honor.

The Don, Gaddaar, and Takkar were the three films that Bendre released in 1995. In the same year, she also made an appearance in the song “Humma Humma” from the movie Bombay.

Another prosperous year for Bendre was 1998. Her first film roles were in Humse Badhkar Kaun, Angaaray, and Keemat – They Are Back starring Saif Ali Khan. She later starred in Duplicate, an averagely successful film, with Shah Rukh Khan. For the movie, she was nominated for a Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Female. Her subsequent two movies with Ajay Devgn were commercial successes, Major Saab (where India Today labeled her “insipid”) and Zakhm (where Planet Bollywood stated that “she made an impact”).

In the 1999 film Sarfarosh, Bendre starred opposite Aamir Khan. “Sonali does justice to her first real role, the only one worth talking about, that is,” wrote Filmfare of the actress. She was nominated for the IIFA Best Actress Award. She then played a doctor opposite Salman Khan in the highest-grossing movie of the year, Hum Saath-Saath Hain. According to a remark from India Today, “The women mostly doll up, dance, and cook.” After that, she and Akshaye Khanna showed up in Dahek.The box office hit Kadhalar Dhinam, in which she starred with Kunal, marked her debut in Tamil cinema that same year. She then got a second Tamil release with Arjun Sarja’s Kannodu Kanbathellam.

In 2000, Bendre released five albums. She first appeared in Dhai Akshar Prem Ke and Chal Mere Bhai in brief appearances. She later joined Anil Kapoor in Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai in a supporting role. Bendre’s portrayal of Khushi earned her the Star Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress. According to Planet Bollywood, “Bendre turns forth a delightful performance. She has a lovely appearance and, for once, displays some talent. She then co-starred with Govinda in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hain as the main character. She made her Kannada cinema debut in the same year with Preethse, a reimagining of Darr.

With Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara!, Bendre made her feature debut, sharing the screen with Akshay Kumar. Director Milan Luthra defined her role as “Sonali’s character is called Mumtaz. The character has its own individuality and doesn’t conform to the stereotypes of a mother, sister, or bhabhi. It is unique because of that. Sonali decided to be in the movie for that reason. According to the Hindustan Times, “Sonali Bendre shines in the few scenes she has.”
On the NMP Movies YouTube channel, Love You Hamesha, starring Akshaye Khanna, was released in 2022.