Over the years, Sonali Bendre has left an indelible mark with her performances across genres. However, not every film experience has matched her expectations. While revisiting moments from the 1998 film Duplicate alongside Shah Rukh Khan, the actress opened up about the evolving nature of her role, her early career choices, and why she felt her character didn’t receive the credit it deserved.A Role That Shifted Over TimeWhen shown a picture with Shah Rukh Khan from the film Duplicate, Sonali reflected on the experience with a mix of nostalgia and insight in a chat with Bollywood Bubble. She acknowledged the popularity of the song and how often people still mention the film. While the project was memorable, she revealed that it also shaped her perspective on choosing roles. Her character was initially envisioned with intriguing grey shades, but over time, she felt it became increasingly one-dimensional and took on more of a secondary presence in the narrative.Comparing Duplicate and ZakhmShe further reflected on her experiences with role selection, comparing her work in Zakhm and Duplicate. She shared that while she was aware from the start that her part in Zakhm wasn’t the lead—since that belonged to Pooja Bhatt—she accepted it because of the powerful story and her respect for director Mahesh Bhatt. However, with Duplicate, she had initially been promised a role of equal prominence. Over time, she began to feel sidelined and sensed that she wasn’t receiving the recognition she deserved. Still, she believes that things eventually balanced out in her career, and she did receive her due.A Memorable Song ShootIn conclusion, the actress reminisced about filming one of the songs from Duplicate, highlighting the creative vision behind it. While she couldn’t immediately recall the exact track—clarifying it wasn’t Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam—she credited Karan Johar for his vision and mentioned the unique styling, including a short wig chosen by choreographer Farah Khan. Despite the intense heat during the shoot, she recalled the experience as memorable and exciting.
