When we talk about the most underrated actors of the 90s, the first name that comes to mind is Sonali Bendre. The actress gave many super hit films in the 90s, but she could not leave an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of the audience. In 1999, an Aamir Khan film was released in which Sonali Bendre played the lead role, but she was scared while shooting the film.
Aamir Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Sonali Bendre starrer 'Sarfarosh' was a super hit at the box office. This film emerged as a game-changer in Hindi cinema. The film presented romance and patriotism in a unique way which was liked by the audience.
Talking about the shooting of this film, Sonali Bendre once said that many times she felt like she was shooting a documentary. But, her character in the film made her believe that it was a completely commercial film.
Sonali Bendre further said, "Sarfarosh is a very special film, especially because of director John Matthew Matthan. John and I had worked extensively in advertising films. Many times we used to feel like, 'Are we making a documentary?' But, there was music and bonding between my and Aamir Khan's characters in the film, which strengthened our belief that we were making a commercial Bollywood film."
Sonali Bendre said that she was scared at the beginning of the shooting of the film.
Talking about working with Aamir Khan, Sonali Bendre said, "As we all know he is a perfectionist and it was a great experience to share the screen with him. At a time when Hindi films were doing just fine despite the logistics and time constraints, 'Sarfarosh' emerged as a film that changed the direction of cinema in terms of production and stories being told on celluloid."
'Sarfarosh', made on a budget of just Rs 8 crore, went on to earn over Rs 33 crore at the box office. The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
The film was remade in Kannada as 'Sathyameva Jayathe' with Devaraj and in Telugu as 'Astram' (2006) with Vishnu Manchu and Anushka Shetty.
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