Sonali Kulkarni’s Interesting Journey.. From Hrithik Roshan’s Mother to Nani’s!

Sonali Kulkarni’s performance as Nani’s mother in The Paradise has brought renewed attention to an interesting aspect of her acting career. Long before appearing opposite younger generations of stars in character roles, Sonali had already taken on mother roles for leading actors. In Mission Kashmir, released in 2000, she played Hrithik Roshan’s mother when she was reportedly only 25 years old. The unusual casting became one of the notable details of her early career.

Sonali later established herself in a range of roles, including prominent performances in films such as Dil Chahta Hai and Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya. In Bharat, she played Salman Khan’s mother despite being nine years younger than the actor. Her career reflects how convincingly she has adapted to characters across different age groups, allowing the audience to focus on the role rather than her real-life age. Her appearance as Nani’s mother in The Paradise is another example of that versatility, connecting different generations of Hindi and Telugu cinema through her performances.