3 min learnMumbaiUp to date: Aug 31, 2026 01:27 PM IST
Sonali Kulkarni has had a wealthy and numerous filmography throughout a number of languages. Throughout her over three decade-long profession, she’s been part of indie movies with a coronary heart in addition to landmark mainstream movies. A kind of is Ali Abbas Zafar’s 2019 coming-of-age period drama Bharat, wherein she essayed Janki Devi, the mom of the titular protagonist, performed by Salman Khan.
Why Sonali Kulkarni performed Salman Khan’s mother
Curiously, Sonali, now 51, is 9 years youthful than Salman, now 60, who performed her son in Bharat. Sonali defends her choice of taking on that position regardless of the age distinction between her and her onscreen son. “Throughout casting, I mentioned, ‘I can’t be enjoying this position,’” Sonali reveals on SCREEN Highlight.
However she recollects each Ali Abbas Zafar and casting director Mukesh Chhabra being “very positive” about her casting due to the emphasis they positioned on the flashback sequences. “The flashback meant every little thing to that movie. That’s how Bharat will get his identify and reacts to conditions,” says Sonali, including, “No director or casting director wish to slot in a fallacious individual someplace. That will be a failure on their half additionally. So, I attempted to grasp that. So, I took it up as a problem.”
Sonali Kulkarni on working with Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif
Sonali Kulkarni admits it did take “lots of convincing” from the director and the casting director to forged her. However what additionally helped was her personal “temptation” to fulfill Salman Khan, whom she had heard lots about. “We bonded very effectively on the units of Bharat. One can be taught from him to deal with individuals effectively. He was ever gracious. And he scored a degree when he gave me his cycle to experience,” mentioned Sonali, laughing.
Including that the venture, backed by Salman Khan Movies, paid her “very well”, Sonali additionally identified that she had “most scenes with the kid artiste” who performed the younger Bharat, and “only a few with the elder Bharat”, essayed by Salman. However she doesn’t have any regrets of tracing that arc both as she acquired to see Katrina Kaif dance stay.
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“Oh god, she’s such a swish dancer, and he or she’s stunning. We had a gala time on set! So, no complaints from my finish,” says Sonali. Katrina, who performed Bharat’s longtime love curiosity Kumud Raina in Bharat, shook a leg with Salman on the favored tune “Aithey Aa.”
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Additionally starring Disha Patani, Sunil Grover, Tabu, Jackie Shroff, and Nora Fatehi amongst others, Bharat amassed over Rs 325 crore on the worldwide field workplace.
