- By Sidhi Agarwall
- Wed, 14 May 2025 10:14 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Sonali Bendre, a charming Bollywood diva, who captivated audiences with her beauty and talent in movies such as Hum Saath Saath Hain, recently shared her experiences surrounding beauty standards in Bollywood in the 1990s. Sonali Bendre described that she was a completely different person in the 90s, looked different with straight hair and a skinny frame- which were not usually aligned with the Bollywood beauty standards.
Sonali Bendre, in an interview with Bollywood Bubble revealed that she was considered too skinny in the 1990s, which did not fit the beauty standards of the time. Sonali said that she is grateful for being loved for her work in the ’90s, even so many years down the line. When asked if it’s okay to call her the '’90s IT girl', Sonali replied, “Well, in the ’90s I was not really considered the IT girl, but many others were. I was a very distinct person even then. I remember when I came in, there were girls with beautiful, bouncy curls; I was a skinny, straight-haired, lanky girl. Hindi films didn’t like that.”
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Sonali also shared an interesting story about how she got the role of Dr. Preeti from Hum Saath Saath Hain. She said that director Sooraj Barjatya initially wanted her character in Western outfits, but she went in as herself in Indian clothes and impressed him. The nose ring, which she wore as part of her daily style, became an iconic part of her character's look in the film.
The Chori Chori actress, who has always exuded a natural ease in Indian attire, remembers her first meeting with director Sooraj Barjatya and said, “When I went to meet Suraj Ji for the film narration, I was in a simple white salwar kurta, silver jhumkas, and yes, my nose ring was on because I wasn’t shooting that day.”
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The actress further revealed that the director of the movie, Sooraj Barjatya initially hesitated but had a condition, “He told me, ‘If you wear Indian clothes, promise me you’ll keep the nose ring.’ I laughed and said, ‘Of course!’ I always wore it anyway.” That small detail, a simple nose ring, became iconic. “And the rest is history,” she said.
Sonali Bendre made her Bollywood debut with Aag in 1994 and went on to star in several hit movies, appearing in films like Hum Saath Saath Hain, Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, Sarfarosh, and more. She also achieved success in Telugu cinema as she starred in movies like Indra, Khadgam, and Manmadhudu. Sonali Bendre made her OTT debut in 2022 with The Broken News and was recently seen in Remo D'Souza's movie Be Happy, in a special appearance.