Sonakshi is one of the few actresses who have embraced the transition to OTT wholeheartedly.
It would not be wrong to say that for years, Sonakshi Sinha, who turned 38 on June 2 this year, was defined by her debut Bollywood film Dabangg (2010), and the series of masala entertainer films that followed suit. Nonetheless, despite being labelled often as a star kid, she did prove her acting mettle with projects like Lootera, Akira, Mission Mangal among others. However, in the recent few years amid the changing landscape of Indian entertainment, she has managed to carve a new path and taken up roles that Bollywood undoubtedly denied her in a way.
The ongoing rise of digital platforms in India has proven to be a blessing for actors seeking layered roles, and Sonakshi is one of the few actresses who have embraced the streaming platform wholeheartedly. With her maiden OTT debut with Amazon Prime Video’s Dahaad (2023), Sonakshi proved that she is much more than a regular mainstream Bollywood actress. In the project, she played a fierce police officer investigating a chilling series of crimes. She not only brought depth, and nuance to the role, she even held her fort in an otherwise male case, including Vijay Varma, Gulshan Devaiah, and Sohum Shah. With her performance, she earned critical acclaim and proved to her critics that she’s far more than a pretty face with a famous surname.
Post Dahaad, there has been no looking back for her, as Sonakshi explored another female-led narrative with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s series Heeramandi (2024), which streamed on Netflix. In the period drama, Sonakshi played Fareedan, an emotionally resilient woman with agency and inner fire. Despite the ensemble cast of Manisha Koirala, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal, and Taha Shah Badussha, Sonakshi managed to show her range as an actor, which was once scarce in her filmography.
With each of her OTT projects, she has proved her hunger to be taken seriously as an actor, and has managed to reinvent herself. Also, her choice of roles in streaming titles are more aligned with craft over commercial gloss.
With the OTT shift and more streaming projects reportedly in the pipeline, the actress’ second act is shaping up well.
