Sonali Kulkarni has opened up about her decision to play Salman Khan's mother in Ali Abbas Zafar's 2019 film Bharat, despite being nine years younger than the superstar in real life.
The actor played Janki Devi, the mother of Salman's titular character, in the period drama.
With Salman being 60 and Sonali, 51, the casting may appear unusual on paper. Sonali revealed that she herself had initially questioned the decision when the role was offered to her.
What's Happening
"During casting, I said, 'I can't be playing this role,'" Sonali revealed on SCREEN Spotlight.
However, the actor said director Ali Abbas Zafar and casting director Mukesh Chhabra were convinced that she was the right person for the part.
According to Sonali, the film's flashback portions were particularly important to the story and played a major role in shaping Bharat's character.
"The flashback meant everything to that film. That's how Bharat gets his name and reacts to situations," said Sonali.
She explained that she eventually decided to approach the casting as a challenge after understanding why the filmmakers were keen on having her in the role.
"No director or casting director would like to fit in a wrong person somewhere. That would be a failure on their part also. So, I tried to understand that. So, I took it up as a challenge."
Sonali admitted that it took considerable persuasion from both Zafar and Chhabra before she agreed to play Janki Devi. At the same time, she was also curious about working with Salman, having heard plenty about the actor over the years.
The experience eventually turned out to be a pleasant one for Sonali. She recalled bonding with Salman during the shoot and praised his manner of treating people on set.
'We Bonded Very Well'
"We bonded very well on the sets of Bharat. One can learn from him to treat people well. He was ever gracious. And he scored a point when he gave me his cycle to ride," said Sonali.
Another factor that made the project worthwhile for Sonali was the remuneration. She revealed that the Salman Khan Films production paid her "really well".
She also clarified that her role involved more interaction with the child actor portraying young Bharat than with Salman's older version of the character.
"I had maximum scenes with the child artiste" who played the young Bharat, and "very few with the elder Bharat", essayed by Salman.
On Performing With Katrina Kaif
Sonali also had the opportunity to watch Katrina Kaif perform during the shoot. Katrina played Kumud Raina, Bharat's longtime love interest, in the film. Her performance alongside Salman in the song Aithey Aa became one of the film's popular moments.
"Oh god, she's such a graceful dancer, and she's beautiful. We had a gala time on set! So, no complaints from my end," said Sonali.
Background
Bharat also featured Disha Patani, Sunil Grover, Tabu, Jackie Shroff and Nora Fatehi in key roles. The film went on to earn more than Rs 325 crore worldwide.
