Sonali Bendre recalls being reduced to caricature in Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Duplicate, talks about her 'grey character'

Sonali Bendre has spoken about her role in the 1998 film Duplicate, co-starring Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla. Sonali, in an interview with India Today, said that her character in the film didn't turn out as expected as she recalled how she felt reduced to a caricature rather than portraying the character as intended. Also read | Sonali Bendre: I don’t want to fight my age, but own it with the roles I portray on screen

‘I felt I became a caricature’

When asked about a film or project that left a lasting impact on her career, the actor said, "There was a film I was doing at that time called Duplicate where I was approached to play a grey character in some way. It was very exciting and challenging for me to portray that character. We started preparing for the role in that way and also started shooting it accordingly, but slowly, as things moved, I felt I became a caricature and not really the grey character I was supposed to play."

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'I don't want to be slotted and boxed'

"Every time a Duplicate song is played and people mention the film, the thing that I remember the most is the fact that how much a story can get derailed and how much you can start with something and where it goes. And, for me, that was a huge learning. As time goes by, you start thinking whether I misinterpreted something or it was the other way around. But then, as you go forward, sometimes you do things for that paycheck, but other than that, in my second innings, I don't want to be slotted and boxed, and I want to do characters that break this stereotype."

The action-comedy, directed by Mahesh Bhatt, featured Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role, with Juhi Chawla and Sonali Bendre playing his love interests. Sonali will soon be seen in The Broken News season 2.