Sonakshi Sinha has spent over fifteen years in the entertainment industry crafting a career that has seen her shift from big-screen blockbusters to performance-driven narratives. A couple of years ago she marked a significant milestone when she transitioned to OTT with Reema Kagti’s Dahaad, a move that signaled her growing appetite for layered and challenging characters.She followed it up with what many claim as he her most defining turn yet: a morally dark role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ambitious debut OTT series Heeramandi – The Diamond Bazaar. For Sonakshi, the series represents more than just another credit — it marks the moment she finally gets to do something she has quietly wished for since the beginning: play a proper villain.The irony is delightful. Sonakshi, who has often been cast as the righteous or resilient heroine, grew up watching her father Shatrughan Sinha become a star by doing the exact opposite. His early filmography particularly titles like Kaala Patthar, Mere Apne, Rampur Ka Lakshman etc which showcased charismatic and brooding antagonists who left an imprint on Hindi cinema. That legacy clearly seeped into her creative instincts.During an exclusive interview with ETimes, she was told that her performance in Heeramandi evoked memories of her father’s iconic turn. The comparison thrilled her. She responded, “I always wanted to play villain, like a dark character because that is how father began his career with and it has been on my bucket list.”The desire wasn’t born out of rebellion, but curiosity. For years, Sonakshi has been expressing her interest in playing characters with shadow, conflict and moral ambiguity. It’s part of a larger creative strategy — to seek out roles that allow her to grow, stretch and challenge herself. As she put it during the same interview, “I just want to play good characters and different roles and that has been a consistent effort from my side. For the last few years, I have been choosing different roles to play on screen- like strong female roles and that is what I want to be remembered for and Heeramandi is a huge stamp of approval, thanks to Sanjay sir.”With Heeramandi, Sonakshi finally gets to tick that long-standing box ,stepping into darkness not as a departure, but as an evolution.
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