Actor Sonakshi Sinha says she decided to change her career trajectory almost a decade ago to focus on roles that challenged her and that's what has led her to projects like "Dahaad" and now "Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar".
While she played no-nonsense small town cop in Reema Kagti's critically-acclaimed "Dahaad", Sonakshi is being praised for her turn as the vengeful Fareedan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's pre-Partition era Lahore-set drama about courtesans.
The actor said it was not easy to pull off dual roles of mother-daughter Rehanna and Fareedan in the eight-part Netflix series but she managed it thanks to Bhansali's trust in her capabilities. Bhansali had earlier produced Sonakshi's 2012 movie "Rowdy Rathore".
"If you give me the right roles and right directors, I can do magic," Sonakshi told PTI in an interview.
The actor also credits former collaborators Kagti, Vikramaditya Motwane ("Lootera") and "Akira" director A R Murugadoss for imagining her in a different light.
"I'm just looking for parts that truly challenge me and help me reach my potential... Once I changed my trajectory into doing the kind of roles that really challenged me, I ended up becoming a better actor. And all those experiences have brought me to where I am today," she added.
Sonakshi, who made her debut with “Dabangg” opposite Salman Khan in 2010 and featured in many films opposite Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn before taking on roles in "Lootera", “Akira”, “Happy Phir Bhag Jayegi” and “Khandaani Shafakhana”, is happy that films led by women are doing well commercially.
Citing the example of "Crew", the actor said she called up its lead actors Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon to congratulate them for making a "super cool" film.
"I've been choosing movies that are led by a female protagonist for a while now and I'm really enjoying them. The success and failure of those movies haven't really set me back in any way. It's been about seven-eight years since I've been doing that so I haven't stopped.
"I'm going to keep trying until it works... The time is right for movies like that. It's amazing to be a part of an industry which is finally coming around to you, projecting and showcasing women-led films in this manner. I enjoy being the hero of my own films," she added.
Sonakshi, 36, said directors such as Imtiaz Ali, Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shetty and Priyadarshan are now on her wish list.
"I want to be that actor which a filmmaker can cast in any genre, and in any role... I can play a police officer from rural Rajasthan (in ‘Dahaad’) and I can also play a courtesan from Lahore (in ‘Heeramandi’), who's exquisite in every way.
"I can also play an action role as ‘Akira’ or play a hopeless lover like I did in ‘Lootere’, or do the song and dance as in ‘Rowdy Rathore’, ‘Dabangg’ or ‘Son of Sardaar’, I can do all of that. I don't want to put myself in any box."
While Sonakshi's role has earned her acclaim, the show has received polarising reviews.
Addressing the varied reactions of viewers and critics, the actor said, “Everybody's entitled to their opinion and you can't please everyone. I got to learn that early in my career that there will always be someone who will have a different taste. So, that's fine, you can’t hold that against anyone. We are very happy to focus on the positives. On Instagram, it’s all about ‘Heeramandi’, the girls are imitating fashion, makeup, jewellery and making reels on the songs."
The actor is looking forward to the release of “Kakuda”, a horror-comedy with director Aditya Sarpotdar, a thriller “Nikita Roy and the Book of Darkness”, helmed by her brother Kussh Sinha, and a romantic thriller with first-time director Karan Rawal.
"I've worked with established and absolute newcomer directors because I believed in them. Everybody should be given a chance; I was also new at some point of time. If a director has a vision and if I can help him execute that vision, I would love to work with them,” Sinha said.
The actor said she had a blast working on her first horror-comedy “Kakuda” and it was great to see her brother bloom as a director on “Nikita Roy and the Book of Darkness”.
