We meet Sonakshi Sinha in the middle of a blazing summer afternoon for this special shoot. While the city slows under the weight of the heat, she seems to have arrived at a season of ease. The actor trades jokes with the team and radiates the kind of comfort that comes from knowing exactly who you are.
That confidence reflects in the women she has chosen to portray in recent years. From a determined cop in Dahaad and a courtesan in Heeramandi to her recent, a lawyer in Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s System. Her characters have become increasingly layered and complex. Was this a conscious effort to seek out stronger female narratives?
“Hundred percent,” she says, “I think it’s only getting better and better with every project that I’m choosing because it’s now just boiling down to what gives me happiness and satisfaction as an actor. There have been so many projects throughout my career and it’s been a fantastic journey. I don’t regret anything. There have been times when you’ve done a film to please others or for many different reasons.”
Today, however, her priorities have shifted. “I am in a place in my life where I am doing it just for myself, just doing what makes me happy. Otherwise, I have a very fulfilling life to live. If I don’t get the kind of work that I want to do, I am very happy in my own life and my own little bubble.”
The actor’s latest source of satisfaction, System, recently premiered on a streaming platform and won her praise.
“I am so happy for the entire team. It just feels amazing being a part of something so amazing. I keep telling Ashwiny (Iyer Tiwari, director) also, that we have done something that we can be so proud of. I am so happy to have shared it with her, with Jyotika, with Ashutosh (Gowariker). It’s been a fantastic journey,” she says.
The admiration appears mutual. During promotions, Ashwiny had described Sonakshi as “the Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet of India”, a compliment that still makes the actor laugh.
“I called her and exclaimed, ‘You have put so much pressure on me!’ But obviously, it feels amazing when your directors think that. Especially when you’re not trying to be someone, yet you are compared to someone you adore and admire so much. Both these actresses are phenomenal. For my director to call me that, I am happy.”
Shooting in the summer time, we cannot resist asking Sonakshi her go-tos in this weather, style wise. “Linens, cotton shirts, loose-fitting clothing. I think in this summer season especially, it’s a requirement. It’s a necessity more than anything else. And even my colour choices have changed because of this kind of heat and weather. I always used to wear black. Now I am tilting towards the pastels, and the blues and the whites are all coming out of my closet. I used to wear black a lot, but I think in this weather you can’t. I have been forced to change,” she smiles.
