Sonali Bendre recalls struggling with 90s beauty standards: 'They wanted curves, I was lanky'

Sonali Bendre, who has acted in hits like Sarfarosh and Hum Saath Saath Hain, recently discussed her struggles with the societal expectations placed on women's appearance in 1990s Bollywood. The actor was very forthright in an interview with Bollywood Bubble about how, despite her success, the industry's traditional values did not immediately accept her.

Criticism for being ‘too skinny’ and having straight hair

When asked about her early years in the limelight, Bendre reflected on how people thought she was too skinny for commercial Hindi films. She was a tall, slender girl with straight hair when she first arrived, and the actor recalls seeing females with gorgeous, bouncing curls. She realised that Hindi filmmakers were not fond of straight hair. 

Still, Bendre said that her hair is actually so straight that it was very difficult to curl, and with the amount of hair she had, it was just easier to leave it open and straight, despite her efforts to adapt by changing her hairstyle.

Sonali Bendre never saw herself as the 'IT Girl' of the 90s

Considering that many others were deemed the "IT girl" in the '90s, Bendre does not consider herself to be one of those people when asked if she identifies with the term. Even back then, she was a unique individual.

The actor stated she is thankful for the audience's affection even though she faces these problems. She expressed gratitude for the continued love for her work from the 1990s, even after all these years.

Sonali Bendre's career

At the tender age of 19, Bendre made her acting debut in 1994's Aag, co-starring Govinda. Her 1996 roles in English Babu Desi Mem, co-starring Shah Rukh Khan and Diljale, co-starring Ajay Devgn, brought her more fame, with the latter film going on to become one of 1996's highest-grossing hits.

Zakhm, Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, and Duplicate are among her several successful films. Bendre also starred in Telugu films such as Indra, Khadgam, and Manmadhudu.

Recently, she made a highly acclaimed appearance in her OTT debut series The Broken News in 2022. Remo D'Souza's Be Happy was her most recent special appearance. Bendre is yet to announce her next acting project.