Meet Jeetendra’s actress who once competed with Rekha, lost her stardom due to Salman, Shah Rukh, Aamir, worked in B-grade films, quit acting, is now..

People may have forgotten former Femina Miss India Universe 1985 Sonu Walia today, but at one time, she gave a tough competition to superstar Rekha with her glamorous avatar and excellent acting. After winning the title of Miss India, she turned to Bollywood. But luck did not favour Sonu Walia, and she moved away from the film world. It was not a difficult task for this former Miss India to get into acting. Inspired by the glamour of films, almost all beauty queens try their skills in Bollywood. Sonu Walia also did the same. But the actress’s career sank because of the three Khans. Sonu Walia, born Sanjeet Kaur Walia, became an actress after enjoying a successful modeling career. She emerged as a popular Bollywood actress in the 90s. She was counted among the top actresses of that era, but in most of the films, she appeared in side roles.

In her acting career, she worked with every big star, but despite that, she disappeared from the industry. She once revealed the reason behind this in an interview. After staying away from the world of acting, she revealed in one of her old interviews why she had stayed away from the industry. Sonu Walia shared that her height, making her taller than most lead actresses at the time, was one of the reasons why she got limited opportunities in films, as makers preferred shorter actresses opposite their male leads. 

Sonu Walia’s height definitely came into play as the popularity of the three Khans – Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Aamir Khan increased. While not explicitly stated as the sole reason, Sonu Walia did share that the dominance of the “three Khans” in the industry might have been a contributing factor to her getting limited roles. 

Sonu Walia became a household name after she worked opposite Rekha in Khoon Bhari Maang. She also gained immense popularity for her bold scenes in the film Aakarshan, which was released in 1988. However, even after working in this film, she did not get much popularity, due to which she had to work in many B-grade films. Working in B-grade films eventually spoiled her image, and due to this, she had to face a lot of criticism.

After much struggle, Sonu Walia decided to get married and settle down. The actress tied the knot with Surya Pratap Singh, an NRI based in the US who was a hotelier and Indian film producer. He died in 2009.

One of Sonu Walia’s most popular roles, to this date, remains the 1990 film Haatim Tai, in which she worked opposite Jeetendra and Sangeeta Bijlani. Based on the story of Hatim al-Tai from the Ta’i Arabian tribe, Haatim Tai was a huge hit at the time of its release. 

As for Sonu Walia, despite her memorable work in films, the former actress now prefers to live a quiet life away from the world of glitz and glamour. Sonu Walia currently resides in Mumbai and is involved in the production house she owns. 

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