MUMBAI: Over the last half a year, Sonakshi Sinha has played five remarkably distinct female roles. In Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, she played a ruthless courtesan and her daughter seeking retribution, in contrast to her debut online series Dahaad (2023), which showed a police officer from a caste that faced discrimination. We got to see Sinha in two different forms over the weekend as she reprised her dual role in Kakuda.
“It’s intentional. As an actor, I want to keep playing different roles. That’s what has kept me enthusiastic about my work after 14 years in the industry,” she says.
The change is all the more marked as Sinha, in the early years of her career, was often questioned about being part of hero-centric stories. But now, she stands proud as she fronts important stories. “My hunger as a performer started increasing the day I switched gears. That hunger kept getting bigger and bigger; that’s why I [kept] choosing roles that were central to the plot and portrayed women in a strong light.”
Kakuda fits right in that plan. The ZEE5 horror comedy, also starring Riteish Deshmukh and Saqib Saleem, has been helmed by Munjya maker Aditya Sarpotdar. As much as Sinha loved the script, she had to take a beat before saying yes.
“I don’t even watch horror films because I am a scaredy cat,” she laughs. “But when I read this script, I could immediately see myself playing both Indira and Gomti. Aditya is a fantastic director. I loved his Zombivli [2022].”
If her career is taking off, her personal life must be even more fulfilling. She got married to her longtime partner Zaheer Iqbal last month. The couple had concealed their romantic relationship for seven years.
“It wasn’t. I am a low-key, private person. So, it happened organically. Also, I believe in keeping things that are close to my heart, close to my heart.”
Rumors circulated that the Sinha family was not pleased with her shaadi, but the couple chose to keep their private relationship intact in the days before their wedding.
“It was a happy time for me and for us. So, we were concentrating on that. When you are happy within yourself and with each other, and you are each other’s biggest strength, it gets very easy to drown out the noise. So, that’s what we did. We were focusing on us and our loved ones enjoying the big day.”
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CREDIT: Mid-Day
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