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A director's actress, a poet's dream
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Beautiful face, almond eyes, lovely smile and tantalising tresses... that is Sonali Bendre for you as she stages a comeback in Amol Palekar's much-talked about Marathi movie "Anaahat", says ZIYA US SALAM
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Hosh walon ko khabar kya bekhudi kya cheez hai
Ishq kijiye phir samajhiye zindagi kya cheez hai.
ARE WE deluding ourselves with pleasant dreams, with hopes of a future bright? Or, is the past coming fast forward? Is that the same beautiful face, once again involved in a moonward gaze? Is she the same girl who was once the love interest of Shah Rukh Khan in "Duplicate", now wooing us all with Chiranjeevi in the much talked about "Indra"? Time may have ticked by but the innocent days of "Sarfarosh" are too fresh to be forgotten. Old age might just be a foe of every charm, every grace but didn't we all long for an interlock with those lustrous locks in the not too distant yonder days? Where then, just where did Sonali Bendre disappear, she of almond eyes, lovely smiles, long legs?
"It took me a long time to break the mould. Maybe I am not aggressive enough. I was completely gullible. Probably if I had a film background I would have taken certain decisions differently but frankly I can't blame anybody for my mistakes. They are all mine."
Any regrets that she did not quite go the way they should have after Nida Fazli's lyrics and Jagjit Singh's voice had imparted a lasting grace to an innocent face in "Sarfarosh"?
"That was a beautiful experience, a real good feeling to be successful. I probably did not get the films I wanted because most of the stuff offered was more of the same. But frankly, I never expected to be an actress. I have got more than I ever thought I would, more than I needed. I love doing what I am doing - acting - and be able to make a living out of it."
Incidentally, for the die-hard Sonali Bendre fans who have kept a close watch on her career growth since the time she got more than a few fond looks with her teasing figure and tantalising tresses in "Takkar", the lady has just been seen in "Chori-Chori" opposite Ajay Devgan.
"Oh! That was a special appearance, that became longer. However, I have not really been able to know the audience response simply because now I am in a different zone. It does not really matter anymore. I am happy the media gave favourable reviews but I did the film because Ajay is a good friend and we have done four films together. I could not say no to him."
In a different `zone'?
Yes, Sonali is in a different zone these days. Bollywood may have been less than kind for someone gifted with such natural good looks but the Hindi film industry's loss has been Marathi films' gain. Amol Palekar-directed "Anaahat" is making waves at the International Film Festival in New Delhi and at festivals abroad. And Sonali, who essays the role of a 10th Century B.C. lady discovering her sexuality could not have asked for a better way to make news all over again.
"It is really nice to see very encouraging response from everybody. Actually, it all started around two-and-a-half years ago. I was shooting for Mahesh Manjrekar's `Tera Mera Saath Rahen' when Amol Palekar showed me this clearly bound, complete script. I agreed immediately. I was not very happy with a small, little thing here and there. We sorted that out."
Wasn't research too difficult for a period removed by some 3000 years?
"I did not do much research. Whatever background work had to be done had been done by Amol Palekar. He was clear about what he wanted me to wear and what not to. I did not interfere with that at all. After all, a film is a director's vision and my job as an artiste is to fulfil that vision to the best of my ability. I am a director's actress."
What took her so long to step beyond the commercial, running around the trees bimbette?
"The directors could not see beyond my glamorous image. Probably they needed to look at me differently. But things are changing now. I am going through lots of new scripts. However, I am waiting for some exciting roles. I am not the one to walk up to a director and ask for a role. I have been here for some years now. I am sure when they need me, they will be able to contact me," says the lady who lost to the likes of Tabu, Raveena Tandon and Karisma Kapoor when it came to blending the commercial with parallel cinema.
All that however may just change with "Anaahat". And with marriage to upcoming director Goldie Bahl, she may just become a poet's dream, a director's actress. As Nida Fazli wrote, "Hosh walon ko... ."
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