India, Aug. 31 -- Sonali Kulkarni is nine years younger than Salman Khan, but she played his mother in Ali Abbas Zafar'ss film Bharat. Sonali is 51, while Salman is 60 years old. In a recent interaction, Sonali opened up about her decision to play a much older character in the film.

Speaking to SCREEN, she admitted that during the casting process, she felt she "can't be playing this role". However, Ali Abbas Zafar and casting director Mukesh Chhabra were "very sure" about her casting and convinced her to take up the role. They argued that her character was important because of the emphasis placed on the flashback sequences.

She said, "The flashback meant everything to that film. That's how Bharat gets his name and reacts to situations. ...