To the petite debutante, who at 18, played a character who could turn herself into a tree (in Girish Karnad’s Cheluvi) every role has been viewed as an opportunity “to do something different”. Theatre stalwart (since age seven) and classical dancer, Sonali Kulkarni, in her decade-plus career, has worked with the likes of Mani Ratnam (May Maadham), Amol Palekar (Daayraa), Jabbar Patel (Mukta) and Italian director, Lamberato Lambertini (The Vrindavan Film Studio and Fuoco Su Di Me), among others and won a clutch of awards at prominent film festivals across the globe. The latest best actress trophy came for the still to be released Omar Sharif-starrer, Fuoco…, where, at the Milan Film Festival, she prettily rendered her thank you speech in fluent Italian, to an audience thus far familiar with only other Indian import, Kabir Bedi. But back home, who has seen these movies? Kulkarni doesn’t even look remotely offended. “I know,” she sighs, then brightening up, “that’s the beauty of multiplex cinema. I will not have to explain my experimental films or prove their existence anymore. They will get a release – and reviews!”

Best known in Bollywood for her supporting roles in Dil Chahta Hai (Saif Khan’s giggly girlfriend), Mission Kashmir (Hrithik Roshan’s surrogate mom), Pyar Tune Kya Kiya (Fardeen Khan’s understanding spouse), Bride And Prejudice (Aishwarya Rai’s unassuming pal) and Taxi No 9211 (Nana Patekar’s exasperated wife), Kulkarni thinks the girls today have all the luck and some of the stardust has already settled on her. “No longer do heroines have to be tall, fragile and fair, with bouncy, shiny hair and big dark eyes,” she says, inadvertently touching her flawless, dusky skin. “Today the industry’s mindset has changed. Physical imperfection is considered interesting – and real. Earlier, something as ridiculous as a pimple would send an actress into hiding! Even the age bar has been relaxed. Actresses get married, have babies and return to the screen in author-backed roles. Our seniors were written off at 27!” Well, she’s 32 and has several little big films lined up for release this year, which include the mystery drama, Via Darjeeling with Kay Kay Menon, the career-driven ego spat, Sirf with Ranvir Shorey and the biographical The Making of the Painter where she plays MF Husain’s love interest.

How does she view lesser actresses who have sailed past to the big banners? “Well, good for them. See, I always have work. It’s not that I’m careless about planning my career. But I am not a one-dimensional person. I like to live my life. I shy away from marketing myself, because my dilemma is: should my work speak or should my speaking work?”

She says she is in no hurry and sees the road ahead as full of twists and turns, finally leading to an expressway. And Kulkarni exults in the meanderings – doing the occasional play, penning a weekly column for Viva (an Express Group publication), cooking for her friends, trekking to the Valley of Flowers....

What does she expect to find when she finally reaches the highway?
“My big Bollywood masala film which becomes a runaway smash hit!”