Sonakshi Sinha, currently basking in the success of her role in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, recently opened up about her journey from fashion designing to acting. “I’m thankful to Sanjay sir (Leela Bhansali, filmmaker) for showing me to audiences like they’ve never seen me before,” Sinha said in an interview with HT City Showstoppers.Sonakshi’s interest in fashion began as a teenager. “My mum (politician Poonam Sinha) produced Mera Dil Leke Dekho (2006) when I was in school. I helped her with styling and clothes. Actor Koel Purie was the first person I ever designed for,” she revealed. Despite her early start, fashion didn’t come naturally to her. “My style is very casual, very easy. But I’m open to experimenting and open to trying out new things. So, it’s been acquired,” she added. After college, fashion designing seemed a natural step due to her talent for drawing figures and silhouettes. However, Salman Khan’s advice led her to acting, starting with her debut in Dabangg (2010). Reflecting on this shift, she said, “My life completely changed.” Her career saw significant milestones with films like Rowdy Rathore (2012) and a transformative role in Lootera (2013). Sinha credits Akira (2016) for helping her pivot from masala films to portraying strong female characters. “I was the focal point [of the film], it was liberating. That’s when I realised I wanted to portray strong female characters on screen. Since then, I’ve stuck to my guns, whether [a film] worked or not,” she noted.
