Meet an actress who has worked in Hindi, South, and Marathi film industries, lost roles due to underworld pressure.
Achieving fame in Bollywood is no easy task especially when you are an outsider. However, many actors and actresses have proved time and again that talent is what drives you through success in the industry. One such actress who gave several hits along with superstars like Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Akshay Kumar, quits films after her marriage.
The actress we are talking about made her Bollywood debut alongside Govinda at the age of 19. She later battled and survived cancer and has given a number of hits. She is none other than Sonali Bendre. Sonali Bendre was a model before she entered the entertainment industry. She made her film debut with Aag in 1994 at the age of 19 for which she earned critical acclaim and accolades.
In 1996, the actress worked with Shah Rukh Khan in English Babu Desi Mem, Suneil Shetty in Rakshak, and Diljale with Ajay Devgn which was a big commercial hit. In 1997, she starred in Tarazu opposite Akshay Kumar and Sunny Deol in Qahar. 1998 was another successful year for her. In 1999, Sonali starred with Aamir Khan in Sarfarosh for which she won the Best Actress award. She also starred in Hum Saath-Saath Hain alongside Salman Khan which was the highest-grossing film of that year.
Not only in Bollywood, Sonali also worked in the South film industry and made her mark. She worked with superstars like Nagarjuna, Chiranjeevi, Ravi Teja, and more and had several hits. Not only this, she has also worked in several Marathi films. She later made her television debut as a host for the show Kya Masti Kya Dhoom….! And then turned talent judge for reality shows like shows Indian Idol 4, India’s Got Talent, Hindustan Ke Hunarbaaz, and India’s Best Dramebaaz.
However, even after making her mark, there was a time when she lost roles in the industry due to underworld pressure. She once revealed in an interview, “Talking about the 90s, she shared, “Many clean sources were financing films. But, there was not a proper, formal industry status. So, there was a lot of unregulated finance coming in as well, and banks would not give it to you. So, that limit was there.”
She added, “There were times when I was supposed to do a role and it went to someone else because someone called them up. But then the director or the co-actor will call you and say ‘I have that pressure and I can’t do anything about it’ And, I understand also.”
Not only professionally but also faced a rough time in her personal life when she was diagnosed with cancer. On 4 July 2018, Bendre announced that she had been diagnosed with metastatic cancer and was undergoing treatment in a New York City hospital. However, despite having stage 4 cancer, the actress became cancer-free in 2021.
The actress Sonali Bendre tied the knot with filmmaker Goldie Behl in 2002 when her career was at its peak. The actress has starred in some special appearances over the years but is not an active member of films. However, in 2022, she made her OTT debut with the web series The Broken News which also starred Jaideep Ahlawat. The series is available to watch on ZEE5.