Sonali Bendre (born 1 January 1975) is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

and

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

films. She did modelling assignments prior to making her acting debut with '' Aag'' (1994), which won her the

Filmfare Award for New Face of the Year The Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut (previously known as Filmfare Award for Lux New Face of the Year) is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films to recognise a performance by a female actor in their deb ...

Early life

Bendre was born on 1 January 1975 in present-day

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

in a Maharashtrian family. She has 2 sisters. Her father was a civil servant. She studied at

Ramnarain Ruia College Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College is a college affiliated to the University of Mumbai, in Matunga, Mumbai, India. It was established in June 1937. The University of Mumbai granted autonomous status to Ramnarain Ruia College in year 2017. It co ...

, Mumbai. She studied in

Kendriya Vidyalaya The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan () is a system of central government schools in India that are instituted under the aegis of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. , it has a total of 1,248 schools in India, and three abroad in Moscow ...

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

Personal life

Bendre married filmmaker

Goldie Behl Goldie Behl is an Indian filmmaker and entrepreneur belonging to the List_of_Hindi_film_families#Behl_family, Behl family of Hindi films. He is married to Sonali Bendre. Career As student of Mayo College, Behl trained within the Mumbai Film I ...

in 2002, they have one child . On 4 July 2018, Bendre announced she has been diagnosed with a metastatic cancer and was undergoing treatment in a New York City hospital.

Career

Modelling and film debut (1994-1995)

Bendre was a model before entering the ''Star Dust Talent Search''. Her first major role was in '' Aag'' (1994) at the age of 19. For this, she won the Filmfare Award for Lux New Face of the Year and

Star Screen Awards The Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony held in India honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced by t ...

for Most Promising Newcomer. In 1994, she also appeared in '' Naaraaz'', for which she was awarded Filmfare's Sensational Debut award. In 1995, she appeared in ''

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

'' in the song

Humma Humma Antha Arabic Kadaloram () is a 1995 Indian Tamil language song composed by A. R. Rahman for the romantic drama film ''Bombay'' (1995) by Mani Ratnam. It was remade by Tanishk Bagchi & Badshah as "The Humma Song" (also known as "Ek Ho Gaye Hu ...

Breakthrough , success and establishment (1996-2003)

In 1996, she starred in ''

Rakshak ''Rakshak'' () is 1996 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Ashok Honda, starring Sunil Shetty, Karisma Kapoor, Raghuvaran, Sonali Bendre, Alok Nath and Aruna Irani. It is a remake of the Tamil film ''Honest Raj''. Plot Raj a ...

'', ''

English Babu Desi Mem ''English Babu Desi Mem'' () is a 1996 Hindi-language romantic comedy film, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Sonali Bendre. It is loosely based on the American romantic comedy ''It Started in Naples'' (1960). The rights to this film are now owned by ...

'', ''

Diljale ''Diljale'' () is a 1996 Indian Hindi-language romantic action film directed by Harry Baweja, with screenplay by Karan Razdan. The film stars Ajay Devgn, Madhoo and Sonali Bendre along with Parmeet Sethi, Shakti Kapoor, Gulshan Grover and Am ...

'', ''

Apne Dam Par ''Apne Dam Par'' is a 1996 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by 3 Arshad, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Shilpa Shirodkar, Govinda, Sonali Bendre, Aasif Sheikh, Shakti Kapoor and Raza Murad. Plot The film portrays Ranjit Saxena (Shakti ...

'' and ''

Sapoot ''Sapoot'' () is a 1996 Indian Hindi-language action-thriller film directed by Jagdish A. Sharma, starring Sunil Shetty, Akshay Kumar, Karishma Kapoor and Sonali Bendre. Other cast members include Kader Khan, Prem Chopra, Johnny Lever, Kiran K ...

''. In the same year, she welcomed

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

on his arrival in India in a traditional Marathi

sari A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std ...

and applied

tilak In Dharmic culture, the ''tilaka'' ( sa, तिलक) () is a mark worn usually on the forehead, at the point of the Ajna chakra, or sometimes another part of the body such as the neck, hand, chest or arm. ''Tilaka'' may be worn daily or for ...

on his forehead. In 1997 and 1998, Bendre starred in '' Bhai'', ''

Tarazu ''Tarazu'' () is an Indian action thriller movie directed by Vimal Kumar and released in 1997 under the banner of Vee Creations. It stars mainly Akshay Kumar, Sonali Bendre, Amrish Puri, Ranjeet and Mohnish Bahl. Plot Police Inspector Ram ...

'', ''

Qahar ''Qahar'' is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language action film directed and produced by Rajkumar Kohli. It stars Sunny Deol, Sunil Shetty, Armaan Kohli, Sonali Bendre, Rambha and Deepti Bhatnagar in pivotal roles. Cast * Sunny Deol as Raja * Suniel ...

'', '' Keemat'', '' Humse Badhkar Kaun'', ''

Major Saab ''Major Saab'' is a 1998 Indian Hindi-language action film starring Amitabh Bachchan, Naveen Nischol, Ajay Devgn, Sonali Bendre, Nafisa Ali and Ashish Vidhyarthi. Plot The plot concerns playboy Virendra Pratap Singh aka Vir. A clause in th ...

'', '' Angaaray'' and ''

Zakhm ''Zakhm'' () is a 1998 Indian Hindi-language drama film written and directed by Mahesh Bhatt. The film stars Ajay Devgn, Kunal Khemu, Pooja Bhatt, Sonali Bendre and Nagarjuna. ''Zakhm'' was awarded with the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature F ...

''. She was seen opposite Shah Rukh Khan in ''

Duplicate Duplication, duplicate, and duplicator may refer to: Biology and genetics * Gene duplication, a process which can result in free mutation * Chromosomal duplication, which can cause Bloom and Rett syndrome * Polyploidy, a phenomenon also known ...

''. In 1999, Bendre starred in two Tamil films: ''

Kadhalar Dhinam ''Kadhalar Dhinam'' () is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language romance film written and directed by Kathir. It is based on a love relationship which begins through an internet chatroom and takes a turn after the protagonist has second thoughts about th ...

'' and ''

Kannodu Kanbathellam ''Kannodu Kanbathellam'' () is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language romantic thriller film written and directed by Prabhu Solomon in his directorial debut. The film has Arjun and Sonali Bendre, while Suchindra, Ruchita Prasad, Manivannan, Crazy Mohan ...

''. Bendre also starred in '' Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United'', ''

Dahek ''Dahek - A Burning Passion'' is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language romance film directed by Lateef Binni. The film stars Akshaye Khanna and Sonali Bendre. The film deals with love between a Hindu boy and a Muslim girl. The movie was a box office dis ...

'' and ''

Sarfarosh ''Sarfarosh'' () is a 1999 Indian action drama film written, produced and directed by John Matthew Matthan and starring Aamir Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Sonali Bendre and Mukesh Rishi. John started working on ''Sarfarosh'' in 1992. Seven years ...

'' as well. In 2000, Bendre made a brief cameo in ''Chal Mere Bhai'' and ''Dhai Akshar Prem Ke''. She later appeared in '' Hamaara Dil Aapke Paas Hai.'' Bendre won a Star Screen Award Best Supporting Actress and got nominated for Planet - Bollywood People's Choice Awards (Best Supporting Actress) and Best Supporting Actress. Then, Bendre starred in ''

Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hain ''Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hai'' () is 2000 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Mahesh Manjrekar and starring Govinda and Sonali Bendre as leads. It is a remake of the 1972 Marathi film ''Ekta Jeev Sadashiv'', and the 1974 Kannada ...

''. In the same year, she made her debut in Kannada with the movie ''

Preethse ''Preethse'' () is a 2000 Indian Kannada-language psychological thriller film starring Shiva Rajkumar, Upendra and Sonali Bendre. The film was directed by D Rajendra Babu and produced by Rockline Venkatesh. The film major part was shot in Aus ...

'', a remake of ''

Darr ''Darr: A Violent Love Story'' ( ''Fear'') is a 1993 Indian romantic psychological thriller film directed and produced by Yash Chopra under his banner Yash Raj Films. The film stars Juhi Chawla, Sunny Deol and Shah Rukh Khan with Anupam ...

''. In 2002, Bendre starred in three successful Telugu films: '' Indra'', ''

Khadgam ''Khadgam'' () is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by Krishna Vamsi and produced by Sunkara Madhu Murali under Karthikeya Movies. It features Srikanth, Ravi Teja, Prakash Raj, Sonali Bendre, Sangeetha Krish and Kim Shar ...

'' and '' Manmadhudu''. In 2003, Bendre made her

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

debut with '' Anahat'', for which she got nominated for

Best Actress in Marathi. In 2004 she starred in '' Shankar Dada MBBS'' and made a special appearance in ''

Aga Bai Arrecha! ''Aga Bai Arrechha!'' () is a Marathi comedy drama film by director Kedar Shinde loosely based on the Hollywood film ''What Women Want''. It was released in 2004. The film highlights the life and the problems of a common man living in a metr ...

''. In addition to her acting, she was also recognised as a dancer through films such as ''Gaddar,'' ''Sapoot,'' ''Bombay,'' ''Lajja'' and ''Major Saab''. She took a break after this. In 2007, Bendre starred in a play called ''Aap Ki Soniya''.

Bollywood comeback (2013-present)

In 2012, Bendre returned to acting in '' Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara!''. Her part was described by the director

Milan Luthria Milan Luthria is an Indian film director who works in Hindi films. He is best known as the director of Ajay Devgan ''Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai'' (2010). He is the nephew of producer and director Mahesh Bhatt. Personal life Milan is the son o ...

: "Sonali's character is called Mumtaz. The name spells enigma and is very crucial to the plot of the film. The character doesn't fit into the usual mould of a mother or a sister or bhabhi but has an identity of its own. That is what makes it special. And that's why Sonali agreed to be a part of the film."

Television career (2001-present)

In 2001, Bendre hosted the television dance show ''Kya Masti Kya Dhoom....!'' and featured as a talent judge for Mr & Mrs Television, the reality shows ''Indian Idol 4'', ''

India's Got Talent India's Got Talent is a televised Indian Hindi language talent show series and is part of the '' Got Talent franchise''. The program is produced and distributed by Fremantle. The show aired on Colors TV till season 8; since season 9 the show is ...

'', '' Hindustan Ke Hunarbaaz'' and ''

India's Best Dramebaaz ''India's Best Dramebaaz'' is a talent-search Indian reality television show on Zee TV which has children between the ages of 4–15 years as the participants. The show is produced by the Essel Productions. Concept Unlike music and dance show ...

''. She also hosted the 50th Filmfare Awards with

Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Part of the Pataudi family, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Khan ...

and

Farida Jalal Farida Jalal (born Farida Sami; 18 May 1950) is an Indian actress who primarily worked in Hindi films. In a film career spanning almost fifty years, Jalal appeared in over 200 films. Best known for her character-driven roles in independent cin ...

on 26 February 2005. She narrated the TV Show ''

Mission Sapne Mission Sapne (English: ''Mission Dreams'') is an Indian television reality show, the show is created by SBF. which airs on Colors TV every Sunday 11am. The first actor to appear on the show was Ranbir Kapoor. The first season ended on 27 April ...

'' on

Colors Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...

in 2014. Sonali made her television acting debut with the

Star Life OK Life OK was an Indian pay television channel owned by Star India. It was launched on 18 December 2011 replacing Star One (Indian TV channel), Star One. It also started airing in the United States on 1 March 2012, and in the United Kingdom and I ...

's television series ''

Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh ''Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Ye'' ( It's a strange tale) is an Indian television soap opera produced by Ekta Kapoor under her banner Balaji Telefilms. The series was broadcast on Life OK and streamed online after airing on television on Hotstar. The sho ...

''. She played Shobha Sachdev. She will next be seen in '' DID Li'ls Masters Season 5'' in 2022.

Filmography

Films

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bendre, Sonali 1975 births Living people 20th-century Indian actresses Indian film actresses Indian television actresses Indian soap opera actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Kannada cinema Actresses in Marathi cinema Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Hindi television Female models from Mumbai Indian women television presenters Indian television presenters Marathi people Kendriya Vidyalaya alumni Indian Hindus Filmfare Awards winners Screen Awards winners