Sonali Kulkarni (born 3 November 1974) is an Indian actress, producer, and writer who primarily appears in Marathi and Hindi films. She has also appeared in Kannada, Tamil, Gujarati and English films. She has received several awards including a National Film Award and four Filmfare Marathi Awards.
She has worked in over 70 films, both commercial and experimental, as well as some international projects, and is regarded as one of the most versatile Marathi actresses. Although born into a middle-class Maharashtrian family in Pune, Kulkarni was drawn to acting at an early age and had attended Satyadev Dubey's acting workshops. At the age of 18, she made her cinematic debut in the Kannada film Cheluvi (1992). Later, she debuted with Mukta (1994) in Marathi. This was followed by critical praise with Doghi (1995), Daayraa (1996), and Gharabaher (1999), the former earning her Maharashtra State Film Award and Filmfare Marathi Award. Subsequently, she starred in Mission Kashmir (2000), Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000), Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (2001), Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Taxi Number 9211 (2006), and Singham (2011). She received further acclaim and a National Film Award for her portrayal of a powerful woman in the Marathi-language, short film Chaitra (2002).
Kulkarni garnered further successes with Deool (2011), Pune 52 (2013), The Good Road (2013), Gulabjaam (2018), and Ani... Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar (2018). Moreover, she won three Filmfare Marathi Awards for her roles in the biography Dr. Prakash Baba Amte-The Real Hero (2014), the emotional drama Kachcha Limboo (2017), and the survival drama Pension (2021).
Apart from acting, Kulkarni used to write a weekly column for a supplement of the Marathi daily newspaper Loksatta called So Kul. In 2010, she published her article book So Kul... She also formed So kul Productions, which produced the Marathi and Hinglish play WhileLily & Night Rider.
Early life
Kulkarni was born 3 November 1974 in Pune, Maharashtra. Her father is an engineer, and she has two older brothers, Sandeep and Sandesh. She attended Abhinava Vidyalaya and graduated from Fergusson College, where she majored in Political Science and received a scholarship in Marathi literature. She is trained in Bharatnatyam for eleven years and in classical music for four years. For her interest in acting, she attended a workshop by Satyadev Dubey, after which she and Sandesh formed a theatre group called Samanvay. Sandesh is presently working as a director and is married to film and theatre actress Amruta Subhash.
Acting career
Debut in Marathi and South cinema (1992–1999) Kulkarni made her screen debut as the titular character in Girish Karnad's Kannada film Cheluvi. Karnad first saw her when she was still in college and approached her for the project. The film is based on A Flowering Tree: A Woman's Tale, in which she portrays a poor young woman with a hidden magical ability that allows her to shift into a tree that blooms with exotic flowers. When the film was released, it was also dubbed into Hindi.
The first Marathi film to star Kulkarni was Mukta (1994), which was directed by Jabbar Patel. It is the narrative of an upper-caste girl and a lower-caste guy who struggle with their caste's contradictions. It is recognised as one of the most significant Marathi films made between 1993 and 1998. The same year, she appeared in the Tamil romantic film May Maadham, which was a commercial failure. Mani Ratnam had recommended her name to the director. She then acted in the NFDC-produced film Doghi (1995), for which she got Maharashtra State Film Award and Filmfare Marathi Award for Best Actress.
In 1996, Kulkarni starred in the first installment of Amol Palekar's trilogy on sexuality, Daayraa. The story revolves around a love relationship between a transvestite dancer and a gang-raped lady who starts dressing up as a male. The film had its world premiere at the 1996 Toronto International Film Festival and was also shown at the London Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, and Vancouver Asian Film Festival. However, due to its controversial topic, it was not screened in Indian theatres. The film received positive reviews and gained her widespread acclaim. At the Festival de Valenciennes, she received the Best Actor Award—Grand Prix du Jury. Her other releases during this time were the English-language film Vrindavan Film Studios by Italian filmmaker Lamberto Lambertini and the award-winning Marathi political drama Gharabaher.