AN ARTICLE IN THE MUMBAI MIRROR DATED APRIL 5, 2007

That slim chance of winning

Sonali Kulkarni and Varun Vadola realize that to win the game, they need to play actively. Both have decided to re-invent themselves by shedding excess fat and baggage.

Ashwini Deshmukh

Sonali Kulkarni has morphed into another person altogether. And this other person is swelter, sexier, slimmer. Ever since the actress adopted SSY (Siddha Samadhi Yoga) style of living, not only has she dropped a whopping 15 kg, but also become a stronger and more positive human being, she claims. All this in a matter of two months and the actress is back with a vengeance in front of the camera. Yes, Sonali is indeed into acting again.

“No longer do I have that passive attitude towards life. Today I am positive and much stronger when it comes to decision making.” she says. This strength has come at a strong price, but it is a price Sonali knew she would have to pay, if she had to move on.

“I chucked many people out of my life. Like my secretary, who kept earning huge amount from my filmmakers and in return made me sign some awful, D-grade films. I trusted him too much and thus kept making the wrong decisions. Not that I have become little more arrogant, I can politely tell people, ‘Thank you for your services’. I don’t carry extra baggage.”

Kulkarni has swung back into action with six commercial Hindi films and one Marathi film in her kitty. A healthier Sonali has even consciously chosen to put on extra kilos for a particular character she played in a Marathi film called Restaurant. Sonali thanks her brother for showing her the light. “My brother persuaded me to learn from  Guruji Shri Rishi Prabhakar. Initially, I laughed it off. But there was a tough phase I was going through in my life and I felt I should be open to this experience.”

Aside from spiritual upliftment, the actress also speaks of the value of the right foods. After all, what goes inside shows outside. “Food is crucial, Sanjay Thakkar, SSY teacher, taught me its importance. I used to think that I’ll eat as much and whatever I want and then burn it out by exercising. It’s the most stupid mistake I made. I tormented my body for no reason. Today, my diet