Sonali is 51, while Salman is 60 years old. Sonali Kulkarni is nine years younger than Salman Khan , but she played his mother in Ali Abbas Zafar’ss film Bharat . In a recent interaction, Sonali opened up about her decision to play a much older character in the film.
Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, the film also stars Chitrangda Singh and is backed by Salman Khan Films. Salman is also set to star in the yet-to-be-titled SVC63, directed by Vamshi Paidipally. The film marks his collaboration with South Indian actor Nayanthara, while Anil Kapoor is also part of the cast.
A new poster released in July indicated that the film remains slated for a 2026 release, although an exact theatrical date has not been announced. The action drama is currently expected to release on Eid in 2027.
Salman Khan has Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace, earlier titled Battle of Galwan, in the pipeline.
It was also a box-office success and was among the highest-grossing films of 2019. It grossed ₹ 325.58 crore during its lifetime theatrical run. Because of the emphasis placed on the flashback sequences, they argued that her character was important.
That’s how Bharat gets his name and reacts to situations. No director or casting director would like to fit in a wrong person somewhere. That would be a failure on their part also. So, I tried to understand that. So, I took it up as a challenge. She also admitted that it was her ‘temptation’ to meet Salman Khan that encouraged her to play the role. One can learn from him to treat people well. He was ever gracious. And he scored a point when he gave me his cycle to ride. The film is directed and co-written by Ali Abbas Zafar. It stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover, Jackie Shroff, Disha Patani and Tabu. The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences.
Speaking to SCREEN, she admitted that during the casting process, she felt she “can’t be playing this role”. However, Ali Abbas Zafar and casting director Mukesh Chhabra were “very sure” about her casting and convinced her to take up the role. She said, “The flashback meant everything to that film. Sonali Kulkarni said that it still took “a lot of convincing” on both their parts. Speaking about her experience of working with the superstar, she said, “We bonded very well on the sets of Bharat. Sonali also added the role paid her “really well”, she did her maximum scenes with the child artiste who played the young Salman in the film.
