Sonali Bendre on 'The Broken News', media realities, and her journey of resilience
I don’t think I was ever at the top of my game. It is yet to happen,” confesses actor Sonali Bendre, who is back with the second season of ZEE5’s web series, The Broken News. An adaptation of popular British series Press, the show explores the world of broadcast journalism and its profound impact on the political and social discourse in the country.
In a world that veers towards TRP, clickbait headlines, and fake news over credibility, Bendre plays Amina Qureshi, a self-righteous and principled editor-in-chief of a news channel. In her fight for the truth, she is pitted against the ruthless Dipanker Sanyal (Jaideep Alhawat) who heads a rival news channel.
The actor says being on the other side was an eye-opener. Describing the show as a reflection of the reality of our times, she says it holds up a mirror to our society. “As a celebrity, one does have a love-hate relationship with the media. Playing Amina has been a revelation because one gets to see what goes behind the scenes at a media house. I loved the fact that these are human stories and my character has a strong voice and conviction. Also as an actor, I like to try new things.
I was drawn to Amina because of how much she loves her profession and how she continues to adapt and evolve even at the peak of her game. She imparts hope and that’s what I loved.”
Like many of her colleagues from the 90s, Bendre too had her fair share of experience with yellow journalism. She reveals that she has been misunderstood and subsequently misquoted several times in the past. “It was frustrating and you shut yourself out. It felt like they were talking about someone I didn’t know, and I drew my boundaries. There were times when I told the same journalist my version of the story, but realised they were not interested in my voice at all,” she recalls.
A model-turned-actor, Bendre made her debut with the action drama Aag in 1994, which she followed with a roster of hits such as Diljale (1996), Major Saab (1998), and Sarfarosh and Hum Saath Saath Hain in 1999. She took a hiatus from acting in 2003 to devote time to parenting, and returned only in 2014 with the television show Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Ye. Although, she did not disappear from the public eye completely—she was a prominent judge on several reality shows. “I had to analyse what it was that I wanted to do. I am an accidental actor. When I started out, I needed the paycheck, and that was my driving force in terms of my film choices. By the time I was established, the roles I wanted were not coming… it was the usual song and dance. The break gave me time to reassess my career trajectory,” she says candidly.
Reassessment of life in general was prompted by her stage four metastatic cancer diagnosis in 2018. After announcing that she was cancer-free in 2021, Bendre emerged as a picture of hope and inspiration for many. Since then she has also been advocating awareness and support for cancer survivors. “Being able to inspire people is a byproduct of trying to survive it. When you put your fear out there, it liberates you. It also helped me fall in love with my job all over again,” she says.
The enterprising actor also founded the Sonali’s Book Club. It was her way of connecting with books and people and use social media positively. “It was amazing because you see the constructive side of social media, the reach it has and how democratic it is. I was out of habit when it came to reading, and it brought back the love of reading, especially long form,” says Bendre, who is indeed inching closer to her best version, one project at a time.