Sonal Monteiro: I always look for a character with weight

Marriage has only sharpened Sonal Monteiro’s perspective on cinema. She is married to top Kannada director Tharun Kishore Sudhir, the son of veteran theatre artist Malathi Sudhir, and Sonal believes that her world has become more artistically enriched after marriage.

Sonal is looking forward to the release of her upcoming film, Maadeva, which was shot before her wedding. The film is set to hit the screens on June 6. “I had always heard people say things change after marriage, especially for actors. But in my case, it’s only gotten better,” she says, adding, “Tharun is my biggest supporter. As a filmmaker, he pushes me to grow and never lets me slack off. He even got involved with the Maadeva team and constantly reminded me about promoting the film well.”

Sonal also addressed an issue many married actors face in the film industry—the assumption that they’ll fade from the scene post-marriage. “It’s unfortunate that filmmakers assume married women stop acting. It’s a stereotype that must go,” she says firmly. “Marriage is just one part of life, not the end of a career. Yes, we might take a couple of months off, but that doesn’t mean we’re done.”

In Maadeva, Sonal reunites with her Roberrt costar Vinod Prabhakar. Their easy camaraderie off-screen reflects in their performances. “We’re friends, and that comfort shows. We improvised a lot, and it made the scenes more natural,” she says. “We’d been getting similar scripts post-Roberrt, but Maadeva stood out. It has action, yes, but also a proper love story, and importantly, screen space for the heroine.”

Crediting director Naveen Reddy B for sketching such a role, Sonal says, “He didn’t just write a song and a climax scene for me. He gave me a real character with weight, and that is something I always look for in a script.”

With cinema being a constant topic at home, Sonal admits her husband does occasionally give her feedback—but never oversteps. “Tharun never brings his stress home. He helps me when I ask, but he’s clear: he won’t cast me unless the role fits. I respect that. I’ve never said, ‘Do a film for me.’ It has to be his vision.”

Up next, Sonal has a good lineup: Rolex with Komal, Raadeya with Krishna Ajai Rao, and the soon-to-release Buddivantha 2 starring Upendra.

Sonal shares that she loves romcoms and films that offer good space for performance. “Even before marriage, some films didn’t work out, but I am an actor who never sat idle waiting for a big-hero project; I made sure that I established my presence on screen. Post marriage, I am looking for quality over quantity, but I want to stay visible, relevant, and above all—keep evolving," Sonal concludes.