All posts tagged: Sonali Bendre

Sonali Bendre, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor: How OTT is reimagining ’90s leading ladies | Web-series News

Sonali Bendre, Madhuri Dixit, Karisma Kapoor: How OTT is reimagining ’90s leading ladies | Web-series News

Published by Parlour News

John Matthew Matthan’s 1999 cop thriller Sarfarosh was way ahead of its time. The grit and grime in Aamir Khan’s character of Ajay Singh Rathod is in the same zone as the no-nonsense investigators in the best streaming shows today. Its political astuteness is also as apt as the most layered police procedurals on OTT. While watching another such crime thriller, Raakh, on Prime Video India, I couldn’t believe how starkly different roles Sonali Bendre played in both the projects. Of course, it’s a testament to her range as a performer, but also speaks volumes of Bollywood’s tendency in the 1990s to paint its leading ladies in candy-coated colours without exploiting the depth they always had. Rising from the Raakh No wonder that Sonali said she was reduced to “comic relief” in Sarfarosh. While she didn’t completely make a fool of herself with her ceaseless “don’t mind” chatter, the heavy lifting was reserved for Aamir and Naseeruddin Shah. Even Surekha Sikri had more impact in her cameo as the mother of Sultan. It was pretty …

Sonali Bendre says she avoided dark roles after cancer battle: ‘Didn’t want projects that would trigger me’

Sonali Bendre says she avoided dark roles after cancer battle: ‘Didn’t want projects that would trigger me’

Published by Webster

Sonali Bendre has fought and won her battle with cancer after announcing in 2018 that she had been diagnosed with stage four metastatic cancer. The actor beat cancer and later made a comeback to acting with the 2022 web show The Broken News. In a recent interaction, Sonali spoke about how she was only looking for hopeful and lighter roles after her cancer battle, but Raakh changed everything. Sonali Bendre in a still from Raakh. Why Sonali said yes to Raakh? Speaking to News18, Sonali admitted that after her cancer battle, she was looking to take on “hopeful and lighter roles” that would keep her in a positive space. She said, “I really wanted to play hopeful and lighter roles that would’ve kept me happy through it all and I could’ve come back pepped up. I wanted work like that, especially since I had been through a really dark period.” Despite this, she said yes to playing the role of a grieving mother in Raakh, inspired by the infamous 1978 Ranga-Billa case. She admitted that …

‘She had no body language’: Director reveals ordeal of helming Katrina Kaif’s Telugu debut | Telugu News

‘She had no body language’: Director reveals ordeal of helming Katrina Kaif’s Telugu debut | Telugu News

Published by Parlour News

3 min readHyderabadJun 17, 2026 09:03 PM IST It has been over 22 years since the Telugu rom com Malliswari brought a soft-spoken princess and a desperate bachelor together on screen, and turned a then relatively unknown Katrina Kaif into one of Telugu cinema’s most talked about new faces. What audiences didn’t see, though, was just how difficult it was to get her there in the first place, or how close the role came to going to someone else entirely. The man behind the decision to cast Katrina Kaif was K. Vijaya Bhaskar, who directed the film and has spoken about how rocky the journey to casting Katrina actually was. Talking about how he had a tough time directing her, he recounted in an old interview with iDream Media, “It was very difficult but what I say is, she’s a very hardworking person.” Pressed further, he painted a picture of an actress working almost entirely from instinct. “She doesn’t even have any body language. Sometimes when she sits, I have to ask her to sit …

Exclusive | Ali Fazal shares tips for Hollywood survival: ‘Don’t be shy of giving auditions’

Exclusive | Ali Fazal shares tips for Hollywood survival: ‘Don’t be shy of giving auditions’

Published by Webster

For the first time ever, actor Ali Fazal has portrayed the role of a cop on a mission in filmmaker Prosit Roy’s crime thriller, Raakh. For him, it was the ‘vardi’ (uniform) which worked as a good build-up. Talking about the prep during his visit to Delhi, the actor tells us, “A lot of workshops, a lot of readings that I needed to do for myself to understand how they (the makers) see this world from the get-go. That was very important. It’s a cop role, vardi hai, which also was a great lead-up because I was like ‘costume trial kab hoga, costume trial kab hoga’. And of course, that first day arrived and I realised, ‘Fit nahi aa raha… Something wasn’t fitting right, nahi ye Prosit ko shayad pasand nahi aayega.’ It’s been a slow and steady puzzle arriving at it.” Ali Fazal Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or text presented here. All rights belong to their respective owners. For more information and to view the original source, …

‘Deeply disturbed’: Karan Johar reviews Raakh, praises Sonali Bendre’s ‘career-defining’ performance

‘Deeply disturbed’: Karan Johar reviews Raakh, praises Sonali Bendre’s ‘career-defining’ performance

Published by Parlour News

Ali Fazal’s new show Raakh, which is inspired by the infamous 1978 Ranga-Billa case, is an uncomfortable but necessary watch. Recently, filmmaker Karan Johar shared his review of the show and called it a deeply disturbing yet brilliant watch. Karan Johar reviews Raakh. ‘Deeply disturbed’ The filmmaker shared that though he had stepped away from Instagram and was taking a break from social media, he felt compelled to share his thoughts on the show. He wrote, “I was trying to take time off from the gram I thought I was successful till I saw this gut-wrenching series and felt the need to express myself.” Karan, who is a single father to his twins, Yash and Roohi, shared how the show, which is based on the real-life kidnapping and murder of Delhi siblings Geeta and Sanjay Chopra, affected him deeply. The crime had shocked the nation and changed the way many parents thought about child safety. Sharing his thoughts and explaining how it affected him as a parent, Karan wrote, “It’s 1.35 am and I am …

Bobby Deol’s childhood was changed by the Ranga-Billa killers. Now that chilling case inspires new web series Raakh

Bobby Deol’s childhood was changed by the Ranga-Billa killers. Now that chilling case inspires new web series Raakh

Published by Parlour News

The release of Prime Video’s true-crime drama Raakh has once again drawn attention to the unsettling 1978 Ranga-Billa case, one of the most shocking criminal incidents to have shaken the country. Inspired by the real-life tragedy, the series stars Ali Fazal, Sonali Bendre, Aamir Bashir, and Rakesh Bedi in key roles. But beyond its on-screen retelling, the story carries a deeply personal resonance for Bobby Deol. In 2025, the actor revealed a disturbing connection to the case, sharing that one of his close childhood school friends had been kidnapped by the infamous duo. Bobby Deol’s childhood shaped by Ranga-Billa fear, now revisited in chilling inspiration for Raakh. Bobby Deol’s personal connection to the Ranga-Billa case During an appearance on Raj Shamani’s podcast, Bobby Deol recalled a chilling childhood incident from when he was in sixth grade. He shared that the infamous criminal duo Ranga and Billa, whose crimes had terrorised the country in the late 1970s, had once kidnapped one of his close school friends. In a strange twist of fate, his friend managed to …

Raakh review: Akash Makhija, Aamir Bashir knock the wind out of you in impactful slow burn on the banality of evil

Raakh review: Akash Makhija, Aamir Bashir knock the wind out of you in impactful slow burn on the banality of evil

Published by Parlour News

Raakh Creators: Anusha Nandakumar, Sandeep Saket, Prosit Roy Cast: Ali Fazal, Sonali Bendre, Aamir Bashir, Akash Makhija, Ramandeep Yadav, Anshul Chauhan, Rakesh Bedi, Divya Sharma, and Vivaan Sharma Rating: ★★★⯪ It is a daunting prospect to create drama from tragedy in today’s time. The proliferation of OTT services has exposed Indian viewers to quality shows and films from around the world. In a bid to fight that edge from across the seas, Indian makers have often resorted to gore and violence, further desensitising the audiences. For a show to shake the viewer in today’s time takes work, both from the writers and the actors. That Raakh manages that is a feat in itself. That it does so without resorting to graphic brutality or discarding sensitivity needs to be applauded. The show is by no means perfect. It takes its sweet time getting to the point, prolonging the slowness of the slow-burning to a point where it is painstakingly slow. And yet, it manages to deliver a payoff that is both shocking and emotional. Raakh review: …

Ali Fazal, Sonali Bendre’s investigative thriller Raakh brings back buried truths, to release on this date

Ali Fazal, Sonali Bendre’s investigative thriller Raakh brings back buried truths, to release on this date

Published by Parlour News

Actors Ali Fazal and Sonali Bendre‘s investigative thriller Raakh has got a release date. The show will be out on Prime Video on June 12. Aamir Bashir also has a key role in Raakh, which is directed and executive-produced by Prosit Roy. Ali Fazal’s still from his upcoming show, Raakh. About Ali Fazal and Sonali Bendre’s Raakh On Friday, Prime Video took to X to unveil the release date of the series by sharing a new poster. The poster featured Ali Fazal in a police uniform, standing over a dead body with a disturbed and confused expression on his face. Alongside the poster, the platform wrote, “Buried truths always find their way back. New series, June 12.” Fans expressed excitement in the comment section. One of the comments read, “This poster is definitely hiding a few secrets.” Another commented, “Guddu bhaiya is back but this time on the opposite side of the scene.” Another wrote, “Finally, some good content is coming.” Another comment read, “Wow what a cast.” The official synopsis of the show reads, …

‘Heroine ko naachna nahi aata’: Saroj Khan refused to teach Sonali Bendre, stormed off the set | Bollywood News

‘Heroine ko naachna nahi aata’: Saroj Khan refused to teach Sonali Bendre, stormed off the set | Bollywood News

Published by Webster

4 min readNew DelhiMay 13, 2026 12:29 PM IST Sonali Bendre may have looked completely at ease on screen, but the actor says dance numbers were the one part of filmmaking she dreaded the most. Despite starring in several memorable Bollywood songs through the ’90s and early 2000s, Sonali revealed that performing in them often left her anxious because she had never been formally trained as a dancer. Recalling those early years, she also shared how legendary choreographer Saroj Khan once refused to teach her during the making of English Babu Desi Mem. In a conversation with Variety India, Sonali Bendre admitted that song sequences were the most stressful part of filmmaking for her. “The nightmare situation in movies was the song. I can’t tell you what a nightmare that was. I’m not a trained dancer,” she said. The actor explained that she was more comfortable when songs naturally blended into the story, but choreography itself would leave her overwhelmed. “Most of my songs are more like stories rather than part of the narrative. And …

NMACC completes three years: Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Kiara Advani, AR Rahman and others attend celebration, watch videos | Bollywood News

NMACC completes three years: Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Kiara Advani, AR Rahman and others attend celebration, watch videos | Bollywood News

Published by Parlour News

3 min readMumbaiUpdated: Apr 4, 2026 02:29 AM IST The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) completed its three years on Friday. From Ranveer Singh to Javed Akhtar, several Bollywood stars attended the celebrations in Mumbai. At the third anniversary of NMACC, Nita Ambani highlighted the cultural significance of the number 3 through examples of goddesses and sacred rivers. “Today, Neeta Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre completes three glorious years, and in our culture, the number three is very auspicious. We have our Trimurti Brahma Vishnu Mahesh, three Devi, Ma Saraswati, Ma Lakshmi and Ma Kali. We also have Triveni, Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati. When we started the Neeta Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, we made a promise to bring the best of India to the world and to get the best of the world to India, and we are trying our best to live up to that promise and shine the spotlight on our Indian artists and artisans on the global stage,” said the NMACC founder. Ranveer Singh, basking in the success of Dhurandhar 2, attended …