Sonalee Kulkarni was born on 18 May 1988 to Manohar and Savinder Kulkarni in the army cantonment of Khadki, near Pune. her father Manohar Kulkarni is a retired Army Doctor who served Army Medical Center for 30 years. Her mother, Savinder is Punjabi who worked for COD at Dehu Road, Pune. She has studied at Army School, Kendriya Vidyalaya 1 and finished her graduation in Mass communication and Journalism from Fergusson College, Pune. she also has a post graduation degree in mass communication from Indira School of Communication. Sonalee has a younger brother who owns an event company called Fledgers.

The 1st time Sonalee witnessed a motion picture camera was in FTII, Pune, while doing a small role in a docu-drama. she was then offered to play the roll of a Katthak Dancer in a Marathi daily soap Ha Khel Sanchitacha alongside veteran Marathi actor Vikram Gokhle. on the sets of this TV show, she was offered her first Marathi film, Gadhavach lagn where she did a cameo in a dance number called Indra Darbari, Nache Sundari. Soon after she was offered to do a lead role in Kedar Shinde's Bakula Namdev Ghotale. This was her a debut film as a lead Actress. She received Best Actress for Bakula Namdev Ghotale at Zee Gaurav 2008 and also Best Actress in a debut film at 45th maharashtra state awards for Marathi film 2008. later on she was seen in movies like Hay kay Nay Kay, Aaba Zindabad, Chal Gaja Karu Maja, Chal Gammat Karu, Gosht Lagnanatrchi. But this movies did not have much success on the Box Office.

After Natrang, Sonalee was seen in the critically acclaimed movie Ajintha, and another multi-starer movie Kshanbhar Vishranti alongside Bharat Jadhav, Hemant Dhome, Sachit Patil. Manva Naik. Her next release was Kedar Shinde's Irada Pakka where she played the character of Aadya opposite Siddharth Jadhav. Sonalee was seen next in the drama film S Sasucha opposite Sunil Barve. She ended 2010 with another movie, Samudra where she worked opposite veteran Marathi actor Mohan Agashe. she had no movie released in 2011. She has also appeared in comedy show on Zee Marathi "Chala Hava Yeudya".

She is noted for her lavani dance song, "Apsara Aali" in the Marathi film Natarang, followed by Kshanbhar Vishranti, Ajintha, and Zapatlela 2. In 2014, she was seen alongside Swapnil Joshi and Prarthana Behere in Mitwaa for which she was nominated at Zee Gaurav in the category of Best Actress. She made her Hindi film debut in the adult sex comedy Grand Masti wherein she played the role of Mamta, wife of Ritesh Deshmukh's character. Kulkarni also made a cameo appearance in Ajay Devgan starer Singham 2.