In the era where we have a new national crush every month, Sonali Bendre is called the ‘OG National crush’. She still continues to be remembered as one of the most striking faces of the 90s and has a loyal fan base over the years. But long before the fame and admiration, she was just a schoolgirl dealing with teasing and unsolicited remarks about her appearance.In a throwback conversation with Lehren Retro, Sonali Bendre reflected on those early years without any trace of resentment. When asked if she received compliments for her looks during her school and college days, Sonali candidly shared, “Compliments? I mean, quite a few of them. See, if you ask me about my compliments, now I get plenty of compliments, but there was a time when I used to get a lot of brickbats too, like my leg used to be pulled a lot too. I think you should ask me about those days. Right now, everybody is on to this big trip about ‘what a figure’ and this and that. But there was a time when I was so thin that I used to get teased for that. I used to be called a lamp post, a giraffe because I have a long neck, which is an asset now. Abhi wohi neck sabko acchi lagti hai, but I used to be teased so much for that in my school and college days. But then the thing was, it never mattered. I took it very sportingly too. I mean, fine, if I’m like that, I’m like that. That’s it.”Speaking about her popularity in school, she added with confidence, “I was very popular, period. Not among boys, I was popular among my teachers also, so that’s it.”She made her acting debut with Aag (1994) alongside Govinda. She went on to star in several successful films, including Duplicate (1998), Major Saab (1998), Zakhm (1998), Sarfarosh (1999) with Aamir Khan, and Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999) among others. On the personal front, Sonali is married to filmmaker Goldie Behl. The two first met on the sets of ‘Naaraaz’. They tied the knot on November 12, 2002, in Mumbai. The couple welcomed their son, Ranveer, in 2005.
