Bollywood actor Sonali Kulkarni has a lot of expectations from her upcoming film Man in which her macho co-star Sunny Deol will not only share the big screen with her but is also her director.
“I want to know the audience response to Man. It was great working with Sunny Deol. He narrated the script to me with nazaqat and was thoroughly involved as a director,” she says.
Even though Sonali insists that her best is yet to come, she had a great time playing Aishwarya Rai’s friend and confidant in Gurinder Chadha’s critically acclaimed Bride and Prejudice and the innocent kid sister in acclaimed Marathi film Doghi. “Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Mission Kashmir and Taxi Number 9211 are also among my favourite films but I cannot choose one movie in which I have given my best shot. I feel my best is yet to come.”
Sonali is also proud of her Italian film Fuoco Su Di Me in which she played the character of Graziella. “It was a dream come true to meet Sergio Scapagnini and Lambartini, the producer and director of the film, at the Cannes film festival. To get into the skin of the character I went to Italy to prepare for the role.”
Among yesteryears’ actors, Sonali holds the late Smita Patil in high esteem. “She was a legend and I respect her a lot. But I will admit that the current crop of actors like Aishwarya Rai, Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra are performing admirably.”
Among male actors, Sonali’s favourite is Aamir Khan. “From acting in films with Juhi Chawla to starring as the protagonist in Ghajini and 3 Idiots Aamir has improved tremendously as an actor. He is a multi-talented star and I immensely enjoyed his latest film.”
Sharing her own journey in the rough and tumble of Bollywood, Sonali says it has been a roller coaster experience for her. “When I started out in movies I was a child and didn’t understand about women emancipation and rights. In my earlier television serial Gulabari I played a rustic character who fights for her rights in a male dominated society. I didn’t understand why the director was making me play that character but today when I watched it at Pravasi Film Festival I felt proud of my work.”
When Sonali is praised for her role of a doting mother to Hrithik Roshan in Mission Kashmir or playing an innocent wife to Nana Patekar in Taxi Number 9211, she naturally feels good. But surprisingly, she gets more creative satisfaction when people compliment her for her writing ability. “I have been a guest editor with a newspaper and loved penning my columns. Now these columns would be adapted in my book Sokul that will be released in Mumbai later this month,” she says.
