She may not have made a huge impact during her time in Bollywood, but her infectious smile and ‘pretty girl’ looks did find their way into the hearts of fans across the country. Sonali Bendre like many other Indian actresses left acting to dedicate time to her family. Sonali was in the City for a promotion at the Omega store and Metrolife caught up with the beautiful lady to see if she would be featuring in the list of ‘comeback’ actresses. Looking gorgeous in a blue chudidar , she spoke of her life as a mother and of finding creative satisfaction.

Ask her about her son Ranvir and her face lights up. “There is only one word to describe motherhood—fantastic. I love being a mother and being around Ranvir. Even as I sit here, my heart is back home with him.”

And what is life like, away from the fast lane? “It’s different, I guess. I was in the industry for almost 12 years and I’ve worked non-stop. I actually almost never took a break! In fact I was even working when I was eight months pregnant.

“So now, this is like a long awaited break. I’m relaxed and I’m enjoying it.”

How about a comeback to movies? “Right now, I think I’m being a mother. My son is two years old, he is too young and I want to be around him. I’ve taken up the role of the homemaker. But I’m never really away from cinema, films are a part of me, my husband (Goldie Behl) is a third generation filmmaker and so I don’t feel isolated from the industry.”

However, Sonali has not quite given up on acting... “I’m doing a play, Aap ki Soniya, which is a sequel to Tumhari Amrita. I feel great being a part of the play, the prequel has Shabana Azmi in it and it has been an interesting role to live up to. Not only that, the play is in Urdu, so I have put in a lot of hard work,” she says. “Being in the play has given me creative satisfaction,” she adds.

Ask about her most memorable role and surprisingly it’s not one of her big commercial Bollywood films. “My most memorable role was in Anahat, a Marathi movie directed by Amol Palekar. Marathi is my mother tongue and I loved doing the film and felt very comfortable.”

Speaking on Bollywood movies these days, she says, “Bollywood is changing now and it’s great to see films in various genres finding their way in. I think it’s the multiplexes that have opened up Indian cinema and created a completely different set of audience. Movies are more realistic and I think they are more comfortable to be in than from when I was in films. One movie that I really enjoyed recently was Bheja Fry. That just goes to show how much the industry has changed.”

When asked about Bangalore, Sonali revealed that her bond with the City goes a long way back. “I studied in Bangalore, in Kendriya Vidyalaya, so I’ve been in the City a long time. Though a lot has changed since then, I still love the place. Look at the beautiful weather, it’s like the City is naturally air conditioned,” she says.

So while many may wonder if one can be happy being away from the spotlight, Sonali says that finding a balance between her work in theatre and her family has given her peace.