Bengaluru, March 8 : Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre said on Friday that acting in a Kannada movie was not a good experience for her.

She made this remark while addressing the gathering at the 'Amazon ElevateHER 2025' event, organised by Amazon India to celebrate International Women's Day (IWD) 2025, held in Bengaluru.

While discussing her films, Sonali said, "I did films in Telugu, and I did one movie in Kannada. After that, I thought, 'I don't want to do this ever again.' Sorry about that, but it was not a good experience for me at that time."

Her statement is likely to stir controversy.

She acted in the Kannada movie 'Preethse', a remake of the Bollywood superhit 'Darr'. She played the lead role alongside Kannada superstars Upendra and Dr. Shivarajkumar. The movie, released in 2000, was a major success.

Speaking about pivotal moments in her career, Sonali said, "A major turning point was getting my first film, as I had never planned to become an actor. It happened unexpectedly, and I decided to give it a try. I have lived all over the country, including Bengaluru, from Nepal to Chennai. My father wanted me to focus on academics and become an officer, as that was his dream."

"I promised my father to give me just two to three years because there was an age limit. I wanted to try this (acting). Once I started working, there was no looking back. Making the decision to dedicate two to three years to something I knew nothing about was life-altering. My life completely changed," she added.

"The world I stepped into was so different, and I was completely unprepared. I was raw, naive, and inexperienced. Looking back, I feel that ignorance was bliss. Now, when I reflect on those times, I wonder how I managed to do it. Whenever I face struggles, I try to reconnect with that fearless version of myself from my younger days," Sonali recounted.

"There were many movies -- some were disasters, really bad ones -- but they were my best teachers. They taught me what not to do later on and helped me understand the kind of people I should stay away from. Then came my successful films, and I found my family in the industry," she said.

"Working on the Marathi film 'Anahat' with Amol Palekar was also a turning point for me. At that time, the industry mainly revolved around commercial blockbusters. The sets were grand, and the work environment was very different. On most sets, the only other woman was my hairstylist, while the rest of the crew were men. That was the norm. But now, when I come to work and see so many more women, including my all-women team, it feels amazing. That film helped me grow," she added.

"When I got pregnant, I ventured into theatre. I was never a trained actor or dancer -- I learned everything on the job. One of the biggest lessons I learned was that actors with a theatre background were the easiest and most wonderful to work with. I did 'Aap Ki Sonia' with Farooq Sheikh. After we lost him, I realised I would never be able to perform it again without him. Working with him was an invaluable learning experience. He was wonderful, and being in his company was a privilege. That journey also made me realise that theatre was not for me," she concluded.

/IANS