26 June,2026 03:18 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Sonali Kulkarni on Tabu (Pic/Instagram)
Sonali Kulkarni recently revisited a chapter of her career that was filled with disappointment and self-doubt. The actress revealed she was once jealous of Tabu after losing the National Award to her for Maachis. However, watching Tabu's performances eventually helped her overcome her insecurities.
In an interview with SCREEN, Sonali opened up about being disappointed when she failed to bag the award despite several of her films consistently making it to the final rounds of the National Film Awards. "Every year, my films were considered among the best films in the final rounds of the National Awards. Year after year, I was getting disappointed. And that was the time when I really wanted a National Award. I was winning others, but what you don't get, you crave the most," she explained.
However, the actress admitted she was angry and frustrated when she lost the award to Tabu. Back in 1997, Tabu won her maiden National Award for Best Actress for Gulzar's 1996 period political thriller Maachis. Among the contenders that year was Sonali Kulkarni, who received widespread acclaim for her role in Amol Palekar's Daayra (1996).
Recalling the moment, she revealed, "I was so angry and jealous of Tabu that I finally went and watched Maachis. When I watched her films, it helped me deal with the insecurities and the desperation I had. Her performance not only gave me joy, but it also had so much command that it helped me come to terms with my own life and abilities. When I watched many of Tabu's films, including Maachis, Astitva (2000), and Chandni Bar (2001), I fell in love with her every time."
Sonali eventually received National Award recognition in 2002, winning the Special Jury Award for Kranti Kanade's Marathi short film Chaitra.
On the professional front, Sonali was last seen in the web series The Trial 2. Work-wise, she has Nani's The Paradise in her kitty. The film, directed by Srikanth Odela, also stars Raghav Juyal and is set to release this year. Apart from this, she has two Marathi films and Madhur Bhandarkar's The Wives in her kitty.
