Sonali Bendre

'Naraaz', her first release, failed, but 'Diljale' and to some extent 'Bhai' and more recently, 'Major Saab' did well. As a fiery girl who bangs and dashes her car ( with Ajay Devgan locked in the dicky ) with walls and trees to punish him, Sonali looked just right and, more important, could draw attention in an Amitabh-Ajay Devgan film!

The girl who was once taunted as having neither talent nor sex appeal when her 'English Babu Desi Mem' and 'Sapoot' bombed, has grown ,but that is also because her quiet mentor has been Mahesh Bhatt.

She has done four films under his baton: 'Naraaz', 'Duplicate', 'Angaaray' and 'Zakhm'. These films may not have set box-office afire, and Mahesh is not going to even try again, but they have helped Sonali grow as an actress. Yet, Sonali was in wilderness when Sooraj Barjatiya signed her as one of the three female leads in 'Hum Hain Saath Saath'. The shoot took her straight into the black buck controversy and even behind the bars for a short while, but the film is expected to skyrocket her up.

Two more films ('Dehak' with Akshaye Khanna and 'Sarfarosh' with Aamir) will soon decide Bendre's position at the box-office. Her under-production films include 'Hum Hain Saath Saath', 'Khafa', 'Love You Hamesha', 'Moksha' and 'Tu Shama Main Parwana'.

Sonali Bendre is married to Goldie Behl, producer of Abhishek Bachchan starrer 'Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai'.