Published By: Sayan Paul

Happy Birthday, Sonali Bendre: When The Actress Revealed Losing Roles Due To Underworld Pressure

Despite her phenomenal success, Sonali Bendre lost out on multiple roles during the 90s due to a reason beyond her control.

The 90s was undoubtedly the “era of glamor” for Hindi cinema. From the male-centric action-packed films of the 70s and 80s, the industry shifted towards light-hearted romantic comedies at that time. As a result, the heroines, with all their charm, flourished enormously. Of course, you may argue that their portrayal was largely stereotypical - but you cannot deny the fact that those female characters resonated with the masses on a deeply personal level. And that success - as it goes without saying - owed a lot to the actresses.

Well, Sonali Bendre became one of Hindi cinema's most accomplished actresses at that time. Born on January 1, 1975, she made her debut with 'Aag' in 1994, which earned her the Filmfare Award for New Face of the Year. And there was no looking back after that. However, despite her immense success, she also had to suffer a major setback for a reason beyond her control.

(Credit: Sonali Bendre Behl)

Today, as the actress turns one year wiser, let's learn a fact about her career that many are unaware of.

When Sonali Bendre Lost Roles Due To Underworld Pressure

During the 90s, Bollywood was under huge pressure due to the underworld. Almost all the big producers and even some stars were compelled to work according to the underworld leaders' choices. And Sonali Bendre was unfortunately a victim of that.

While speaking about the same on The Ranveer Show podcast, she said, "Many clean sources were financing films. But, there was not a proper, formal industry status. So, there was a lot of unregulated finance coming in as well, and banks will not give it to you. So, that limit was there.”

"There were times when I was supposed to do a role and it went to someone else because someone called them up. But then the director or the co-actor will call you and say ‘I have that pressure and I can’t do anything about it’ And, I understand," she added.

(Credit: iamsonalibendre)

The actress further revealed that it was her then-boyfriend, now husband, Goldie Behl, who helped her to cope with the situation.

A Look At Sonali Bendre's Career

Before making her acting debut with 'Aag', Sonali Bendre had worked as a model. The same year as 'Aag' was released, she appeared in the action-drama film 'Naaraaz', for which she won Filmfare's Sensational Debut Award. Thereafter, within a year, she had three releases, such as 'The Don', 'Gaddaar', and 'Takkar'.

However, it was in the year 1996 that she established herself as one of the best in the industry. Films like 'Rakshak', 'Apne Dam Par', and 'Sapoot', where she co-starred with Sunil Shetty, became massive commercial successes. Also, she romanced Shah Rukh Khan in 'English Babu Desi Mem', which earned acclaim from every part of India. And it continued.

(Credit: Cinematic Lines)

During the early 2000s, she expanded to Telugu cinema with films such as 'Indra', 'Khadgam', 'Manmadhudu', and 'Shankar Dada M.B.B.S.' among others.

(Credit: iamsonalibendre)

However, since the mid-2000s, she has been on a hiatus from showbiz, with only occasional appearances in films, web shows, and television. But needless to say, that hasn't affected her relevance even a bit. As critic and journalist Rahul Gangwani put it, "Even though Sonali hasn't appeared on the big screen for a decade now, the craze for her remains unbeaten."

Happy Birthday, Sonali Bendre. Thanks For All The Amazing Films!