Sonali Kulkarni (born 3 November 1974) is an Indian actress, producer, and writer who primarily appears in Marathi and Hindi films. She has also appeared in Kannada, Tamil, Gujarati and English films. She has worked in over 70 films, both commercial and experimental, as well as some international projects, and is regarded as one of the most versatile Marathi actresses. Kulkarni has won a National Film Award, two Maharashtra State Film Awards, and four Filmfare Marathi Awards, and has been nominated for one Filmfare Award, two IIFA Awards, and one Screen Award.

Although born into a middle-class Maharashtrian family in Pune, Kulkarni was drawn to acting at an early age and had attended Satyadev Dubey's acting workshops. At the age of 18, she made her cinematic debut in the Kannada film Cheluvi (1992). Later, she debuted with Mukta (1994) in Marathi. This was followed by critical praise with Doghi (1995), Daayraa (1996), and Gharabaher (1999), the former earning her Maharashtra State Film Award and Filmfare Marathi Award. Subsequently, she starred in Mission Kashmir (2000), Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000), Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (2001), Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Taxi Number 9211 (2006), and Singham (2011). She received further acclaim and a National Film Award for her portrayal of a powerful woman in the Marathi-language, short film Chaitra (2002).

Kulkarni garnered further successes with Deool (2011), Pune 52 (2013), The Good Road (2013), Gulabjaam (2018), and Ani... Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar (2018). Moreover, she won three Filmfare Marathi Awards for her roles in the biography Dr. Prakash Baba Amte-The Real Hero (2014), the emotional drama Kaccha Limbu (2017), and the survival drama Pension (2021).

Apart from acting, Kulkarni used to write a weekly column for a supplement of the Marathi daily newspaper Loksatta called So Kul. In 2010, she published her article book So Kul... She also formed So kul Productions, which produced the Marathi and Hinglish play WhileLily & Night Rider.

Early life
Kulkarni was born in Pune, Maharashtra. Her father is an engineer, and she has two older brothers, Sandeep and Sandesh. She attended Abhinava Vidyalaya and graduated from Ferguson College, where she majored in Political Science and received a scholarship in Marathi literature. She is trained in Bharatnatyam for eleven years and in classical music for four years. For her interest in acting, she attended a workshop by Satyadev Dubey, after which she and Sandesh formed a theatre group called Samanvay. Sandesh is presently working as a director and is married to film and theatre actress Amruta Subhash.