Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar’s Dahaad that saw Sonakshi Sinha portray a tough cop proved to be a game-changer for the actor’s career. She followed it up with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, where her portrayal of a shrewd courtesan has been winning her rave reviews. However, Sonakshi’s career trajectory hasn’t exactly been a bed of roses.
Among the many mainstream potboilers that she has been a part of, Lootera stands out and even though she garnered praises for her performance in the film, it proved to be a dud at the box office. She also headlined solo-heroine projects like Akira, Noor, Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi and Khandaani Shafakhana, however, none of them managed to emerge as box office money-spinners.
In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, she looks back at that phase that tested her patience before she finally tasted success with Dahaad and Heeramandi. Hinting at the time when she tried to change gears with films like Akira, Sonakshi tells us, “The only time when I felt like nothing is working out despite giving it my all was when I completely changed my trajectory in terms of the roles that I was doing and yet, some of those didn’t work out. But I enjoyed doing them as an actor. I also enjoyed working with those particular people on those few films that didn’t really work out commercially. Yet, I kept questioning, ‘Why is it not happening?’”
Always the one to focus on the silver lining, the 36-year-old says that despite hitting a ‘rough patch’, she didn’t let it shake her confidence. “But I also knew that the box office fate of a film isn’t in my control. As an actor, you’ve to give it your best. My performances were always appreciated. That’s how I moved forward and kept on doing the work that I wanted to. It’s paying off now. Everyone goes through a rough patch,” she remarks.
However, she’s quick to add that she’s currently in ‘one of the best phases’ of her career. “I’m finally doing the kind of roles that I’ve been waiting to do – roles that are so different from each other. I’m really enjoying myself. I think it’s a great time to be an actor and I’m making the most of it,” smiles Sonakshi.
But this purple patch hasn’t quite translated into a smooth sailing journey as she reveals that she still fights for the money she thinks she deserves. “It’s not easy and it doesn’t feel right sometimes. When filmmakers approach you, they know that you bring something to the table. But when it comes to the money conversation, everybody just wants an actress, particularly, to reduce her fee,” rues Sonakshi.
She continues, “I don’t understand why that happens and how that works. It has happened and continues to happen and it’s a battle that we’ve to fight as women. We’re fighting too many battles anyway. So, this fight for remuneration is just one of them.”
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