This year, all kinds of Gujarati films have found their audience: Sonaalee Lele Desai

Sonaalee Lele Desai is in a happy space. 2025 has been a happening year for her so far, with Mithada Maheman and Bhram doing well at the box office, and she has other exciting releases to look forward to. The architect-turned-actress from Vadodara, who has also done films like Hu Ane Tu and Hun Iqbal, tells us, “I couldn’t have asked for a better phase professionally. I always wanted to act in a good Hindi OTT show, and that dream was fulfilled at the beginning of the year with the release of Pyaar Testing. I am delighted that both Mithada Maheman and Bhram were loved by the audience. I also loved being a part of Jalso-A Family Invitation. Playing a flawed character in Bhram, who is a dementia patient, was extremely challenging. I did a lot of research about dementia patients for this role. I am grateful that the audience appreciated my performance.”

She adds, “As an architect, I gave it my all for more than 20 years. Since 2019, I have been completely focused on acting because I wanted to explore another avenue. It wouldn’t have been possible to do justice to both the roles.” Excerpts from a chat:

‘Bhram has been my most successful film till date’

Usually, audiences in Gujarat prefer to watch family dramas, which have elements of comedy and emotions. We haven’t seen too many thrillers in Gujarati cinema and when Bhram didn’t do too well on the first two days, we were a bit anxious. However, Pallav Parikh (director) and the entire team were confident that we had made a good film, and it was heartening when the film did so well. It has been my most successful film till date, and it shows that if you have an engaging story that manages to entertain the audience, any genre will work. I also loved my character in Mithada Maheman because there weren’t too many dialogues, and I needed to convey a lot through my eyes, which I enjoyed. Both these films are very close to my heart.

‘This year, all kinds of Gujarati films have found their audience’

At the beginning of the year, I had this gut feeling that something big was around the corner and 2025 looks like a magical year for Gujarati cinema. Whether it’s Umbarro, All the Best Pandya, Bhram, Jai Mata Ji Let’s Rock, Faati Ne? or Mithada Maheman, all kinds of Gujarati films have found their audience this year. The audience has responded positively and shown their trust in our industry. So, now we have to be more responsible and ensure that we give them even better films.