Sonali Kulkarni, a regular feature in the Indian regional and parallel cinema, was born and brought up in Pune. Since childhood she had a passion for theatre and convinced by acting, she became a part of a theater group called Samanvay. This brilliant actress got her first break in Girish Karnad's 'Cheluvi' (1991), while studying at Ferguson College and since then there was no looking back. After that she did a couple of Tamil and Marathi films and the turning point came with the Hindi film 'Daayra' (1996). This national award winner has come a long way from theatre to regional films and proved her credentials as an actress by performing varied characters. Sonali has won accolades abroad by winning the best actress award for her Italian film 'Fuoco Di Su Me', at the Milan film festival in Busto Arsizio. Other awards bagged by the talented beauty includes Marathi Filmfare Award for Best Actress, Maharashtra State Best Actress Award twice, V. Shantaram Award 1996 etc.