Actor Sonali Bendre recently revealed that when she was only five films old in the industry, she was often criticised by choreographers for her dance moves. At the time, it was a common perception that one could not become a heroine without knowing how to dance. Feeling discouraged, Bendre decided to give dancing a shot and trained in ‘Bollywood dancing’ before her breakthrough performance in the song “Humma Humma” from Mani Ratnam’s 1995 movie “Bombay.”
The song was choreographed by legendary dancer Prabhu Deva, and Bendre had decided that if she couldn’t perform well, she would pack her bags and leave the industry. However, her performance was impressive, and she received praise from choreographer master Mugur Sundar, who rewarded her with Rs. 100.
Despite not being part of the main cast of “Bombay,” Bendre’s performance in “Humma Humma” is remembered as her song. She went on to feature in ’90s hits such as “Diljale”, “Major Saab”, “Sarfarosh”, “Zakhm” and “Hum Saath Saath Hain” and later took a break from work after the birth of her son in 2005.
Bendre returned to acting with the first season of “The Broken News” in 2022 and is set to reprise her role of Amina Qureshi, editor of Awaz Bharti news channel, in the upcoming second season of ZEE5 series “The Broken News”. Bendre hopes that with new voices coming in, she will be offered more age-appropriate roles.
She believes that while change is happening, female actors still have to battle patriarchy in terms of work opportunities. However, conversations have started, and she hopes to do her bit in seeing that they continue and grow. She also spoke about staying away from films as she didn’t want to be stereotyped in glamorous roles. Bendre believes that it’s great to have an image that brands you and gets you work, but there comes a point where that image starts becoming an anchor and starts pulling you down.
She has no regrets about her image, but she has outgrown it. Bendre’s journey has not been easy, and she went on a seven-year hiatus when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2018. But she came back stronger and more determined than ever. She hopes that her work inspires others to keep pushing forward and never give up on their dreams.
