Smart, slim and svelte, Sonali Bendre has the kind of presence which is bound to turn eyes.
Add to that a lovely smile and bubbly personality, and you have somebody who will succeed. It took time for Sonali to make her mark but she had been coached well by a bevy of Bollywood stars and it paid off when she got noticed as an actress of some calibre.
She also made a great host of TV shows and was a big hit with children.
Today as she braves and battles the deadly ‘C’ in New York, we look back on some of the films where she stood out.
Diljale (1996)
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Sonali Bendre, Madhoo, Amrish Puri, Parmeet Sethi, Shakti Kapoor
Director: Karan Razdan
A romantic story takes a criminal turn as Shaka alias Shyam (Ajay Devgn) turns to terrorism to seek revenge on against the corrupt Raja Saab (Shakti Kapoor) who killed his father. The Raja Saab has a daughter Radhika (Sonali Bendre) who was in love with Shyam but now hates him because of a misunderstanding.
Shyam works for Dara (Amrish Puri) and Shabnam (Madhoo) a member of his gang loves him. Then a busload of pilgrims are waylaid and Radhika is also among the captives. Radhika learns of Shyam’s reason for becoming a terrorist and love reawakens. But terrorism can get complicated and will the couple emerge from it all?
Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999)
Cast: Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Karishma Kapoor, Sonali Bendre, Mohnish Behl
Director: Sooraj R Bartajya
A family drama involving three brothers Vivek (Mohnish Behl), Prem (Salman Khan) and Vinod (Saif Ali Khan) and their respective love interests Sadhana (Tabu), Sapna (Karishma Kapoor) and Preeti (Sonali Bendre) skids into complications. The romance plays out according to plan before being hit by tremors.
The three brothers are sons of a business tycoon. The protagonists are all invited to his mansion for one large party. Then Fate deals its own cards and the plot twists and turns before eventually concluding in peace and harmony.
Duplicate (1998)
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Sonali Bendre, Farida Jalal
Director: Mahesh Bhatt
As the name suggests, a nice natured chef Bablu (Shah Rukh Khan) has a lookalike Manu Dada, a dangerous criminal. The chef is in love with the hotel manager Sonia (Juhi Chawla) and they gel well. Then Manu escapes prison and fun and games begin.
Confusion reigns as Sonia, Manu’s girlfriend Lily (Sonali Bendre) and Bablu’s mother (Farida Jalal) get into a tangle over who is who. There is some crime involved and money becomes the crux of the matter before the truth is revealed.
Bhai (1996)
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Sonali Bendre, Pooja Batra, Kader Khan, Ashish Vidyarthi
Director: Deepak Shivdasani
An honest man Kundan (Ajay Devgn) leaves his village in the hilly areas and comes to Mumbai along with his younger brother Kisna to escape corrupt police officials and lawbreakers. He is helped by a honest lawyer Satyaprakash (Om Puri) and his two daughters Pooja (Pooja Batra) and Meenu (Sonali Bendre).
But Kundan gets caught in the crossfire between two gang lords who are seeking to wrest power in the city. When one of them kills Kisna, Kundan seeks revenge and turns into a don too – though a well-liked one. Pooja warns him not to take that up but Meenu helps. Thus the plot takes twists and turns before the climax in a jungle.
Sarfarosh (1999)
Cast: Aamir Khan, Sonali Bendre, Naseeruddin Shah, Mukesh Rishi
Director: John Matthew Matthan
This tale of arms smuggling on the border is played out in the backdrop of crime in Mumbai. ACP Ajay Singh Rathod (Aamir Khan) meets his college sweetheart Seema (Sonali Bendre) at a concert of famous ghazal singer Ghulfam Hassan (Naseeruddin Shah), a Mohajir, who sometimes lives in India.
But the Mumbai criminal world has a link to arm trade in the state of Rajasthan and ACP Rathod is hot on the heels of these arms smugglers along with his squad. He gets help from an honest officer Inspector Saleem (Mukesh Rishi). But nobody knows who the mastermind is until a visit to Rajasthan throws up surprises.
#Pune365 Joins Her Family, Friends And Fans In Wishing Sonali Bendre Behl A Very Speedy Recovery!
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