Hesitation Over A Major Role

Most actors desperately want to get cast in massive blockbuster films. When producers offered Sonali Kulkarni a role in Bharat, she hesitated. She actually tried to cast someone else in the prominent part initially. The actor is nine years younger than her famous co-star, Salman Khan. She played his mother in the 2019 drama directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. She recently revealed her first instinct was to point the filmmakers elsewhere. She told Galatta India she thought the role simply did not suit her. She gave the casting director a long list of other potential actors.

A Career Of Unusual Roles

Her hesitation had nothing to do with playing a mother on screen. Many actors in the industry go out of their way to avoid that label. Kulkarni pointed to a career full of highly unusual and challenging roles. In her first film, she played a girl who became a flowering tree. In another film, she confidently played a young boy with a moustache. She believes actors should remain super open about portraying any type of role. Mothers are also friends, sisters-in-law, and wives in real life. Her concern with Bharat involved the believability of the age gap.

Winning Over The Reluctant Actor

She wanted to ensure she actually looked the part for the audience. Two specific things eventually won her over to the major project. The script leaned heavily on flashbacks to the main character's childhood. Furthermore, she had never worked with Salman Khan before this opportunity arose. She felt this offered the best way to connect with the massive star. Older male stars are routinely paired with much younger actresses in Bollywood. Audiences and critics have called out this specific casting pattern for years. However, Bharat proved incredibly successful at the global box office regardless. Explore the fascinating business behind the global entertainment industry. Read more exclusive cinema news right now on The WAU.

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