Sonali Khare

Sonali Khare (; born 5 December 1978) is an Indian actress and producer who works primarily in Marathi films and television. She began her acting career with the Marathi television series Aabhalmaya in 2000 and subsequently established herself through appearances in films such as Savarkhed Ek Gaon, Ranragini, Checkmate, Hrudayantar and Well Done Baby. She has also appeared in Hindi television series including Pyaar Ke Do Naam: Ek Raadha, Ek Shyaam and Na Umra Ki Seema Ho, as well as the Hindi-Telugu film Adipurush.

In 2022, Khare ventured into film production by launching Blooming Lotus Productions, under which she produced and starred in the Marathi film MyLek (2024), alongside her daughter Sanaya Anand.

Early life Khare was born on 5 December 1978 in Dombivli, Maharashtra. Her maternal uncle is the harmonium player Govindrao Patwardhan, while her mother, Kalpita Khare is a trained classical singer. She attended S. V. Joshi High School and later studied at V. G. Vaze College and Somaiya College, where she completed a degree in psychology. Actress Madhavi Nimkar is her maternal cousin, and musician Tushar Deval is her maternal cousin; Deval is married to actress Swati Deval.

Career

2000–2008: Early work and recognition Khare began her acting career in 2000 with the Marathi television series Aabhalmaya, in which she portrayed Reshma Kapadiya. She subsequently appeared in the Hindi film Tere Liye (2001), marking her film debut. In 2003, she made her Marathi film debut with Resham Ghaat, alongside Reema Lagoo, Arun Nalawade and Shreyas Talpade. During this period, she also appeared in the Hindi television series Rooh and the Marathi television series Avantika, Oon Paus and Bedhund Manachya Lahari, all of which were well received.

In 2006, Khare portrayed Kaveri Sharma, the protagonist's sister, in Rajshri Productions' television series Pyaar Ke Do Naam: Ek Raadha, Ek Shyaam, which ran for over 100 episodes and brought her wider recognition on Hindi television. Next, she played the female lead in Sanjay Jadhav's thriller Checkmate, alongside Ankush Chaudhari, Swapnil Joshi, Rahul Mehendale and Sanjay Narvekar, which follows a group of friends who take on a scam syndicate after losing their money and become embroiled in a dangerous struggle to save one of their own. It went on to become a commercial and critical success and was particularly noted for its style and chess-inspired cat-and-mouse plot.

2013–2017: Return to Marathi films and television After a period of relatively limited screen appearances, she returned to television in 2014 with the Star Pravah series Be Dune Daha, in which she played a leading role opposite Sunil Barve in the family drama.

In 2016, Khare appeared in the suspense thriller 7, Roshan Villa, portraying one of the leads in a love triangle, and also starred in the comedy-drama & Jara Hatke. In 2017, she featured in designer Vikram Phadnis' directorial debut Hrudayantar, an emotional drama exploring marital conflict and the importance of family and relationships. The film was positively received by critics, with Devesh Sharma of Filmfare describing Khare's performance as "effective". She hosted the Colors Marathi cooking show Aaj Kay Special in 2020.

2021–present: Digital appearances and production debut In 2021, Khare had a brief role as a doctor in the marital drama film Well Done Baby, which was released directly on Amazon Prime Video. The same year, she appeared in the ALT Balaji series Crashh and the Planet Marathi OTT series Anuradha. She later portrayed Kaikeyi, the queen of Ayodhya and stepmother of Rama, in the Hindi-Telugu mythological film Adipurush (2023), directed by Om Raut. The film was critically and commercially panned. SShe also returned to Hindi television after several years with Na Umra Ki Seema Ho, in which she portrayed Yamini Roy, Dev's former college friend who is wrongly believed to have had a daughter with him.

In 2022, Khare launched her production house, Blooming Lotus Productions, and produced MyLek (2024), directed by Priyanka Tanwar. The film starred Khare as a single mother navigating her relationship with her teenage daughter, played by her real-life daughter Sanaya Anand in her acting debut. Kalpeshraj Kubal of Maharashtra Times praised Khare's performance, noting her screen presence and emotional scenes. Her performance earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award Marathi for Best Actress.

After nearly a decade, Khare returned to Marathi television with Kothare Vision's family drama Nashibvan, in which she portrayed an antagonist for the first time, alongside Adinath Kothare, Ajay Purkar and Neha Naik.

Personal life

Khare met actor Bijay Anand on the sets of the horror television series Raat Hone Ko Hai. Their friendship developed into a relationship, and the couple lived together for two years before having a simple court marriage in 2007. The couple have a daughter, Sanaya, who was born in 2006. Over the years, the media reported that there was a 27-year age difference between Khare and Anand; however, in 2024, Khare stated that the age difference between them was eight years.

During the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, Khare and Anand were having dinner at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai when it was attacked by terrorists. Khare later recalled that they initially believed the incident involved gang violence before realizing it was a terrorist attack, and that her main concern was their infant daughter, who was at home. The couple remained inside the hotel and left safely the following morning.

Filmography Films

Television

Web series