Biography
Sonali was born in Mumbai into a Marathi-speaking Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu family. She studied in Bangalore and Mumbai at Kendriya Vidyalaya Malleswaram and Holy Cross Convent High School, Thane, before attending Welham Girls School in Dehradun. She married film director Goldie Behl on 12 November 2002. On 11 August 2005, she gave birth to a son, Ranveer, at Breach Candy Hospital.
Bendre began her career as a model and was later selected for the "Star Dust Talent Search." She moved to Mumbai and trained under several top actors and performers in the Indian film industry. Her debut role was in Aag (1994) opposite Govinda. Although the film was unsuccessful, she gained attention and won two awards: the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and the Star Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Despite initial struggles to establish herself as a successful actress, she earned critical acclaim for her performances in Diljale (1996), followed by Bhai (1997), Sarfarosh, Zakhm, Duplicate, Kadhalar Dhinam (a Tamil film), Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United (1999), Tera Mera Saath Rahen (2001), and Anahat (2003), among others. She is recognized as one of the few actresses to have starred opposite all four major Khans of Bollywood: Salman, Aamir, Shah Rukh, and Saif. Additionally, she has acted alongside prominent Bollywood actors such as Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, and Anil Kapoor.
In the South Indian film industry, she has appeared with Telugu superstars like Mahesh Babu in Murari, Chiranjeevi, Akkineni Nagarjuna, and Nandamuri Balakrishna in films including Indra, Shankar Dada M.B.B.S., Angaaray, Manmadhudu, and Palanti Brahma Naidu, as well as Kannada superstar Upendra in Preethse, a remake of Darr. These roles helped her establish a strong presence and gain popularity across both South and North India. She is widely recognized as an internationally acclaimed Indian star.
