Akira to Force 2 to Noor: How Sonakshi Sinha finally became dabangg with her roles

Sonakshi Sinha made her Bollywood debut with 2009's Dabangg where she spent the entire running length of the film hiding behind Salman Khan. Her subsequent roles were various varieties of helpless girls waiting for a Rowdy or a Rajkumar to save her from the baddies. She would often be criticised for her choice of roles and for good reason because the films she did, regardless of their box office success, were not exactly Oscar material. Nevertheless, Sonakshi proved her detractors wrong with a subdued and surprisingly natural performance in 2013's Lootera before becoming helpless again.

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Sonakshi surprised one and all with her turn as an ass-kicking, slightly mental college girl in 2016's Akira. She bruised, battered and belittled men all around him in a performance that was as furious and spontaneous as that of, say, Angelina Jolie in Salt. Take out the fact that Akira had a female protagonist and with a male star in the centre, the film probably wouldn't appear any different than what it was. This is, perhaps, the reason behind the film's box office failure. However, Sonakshi had stood up and she claimed attention. Well, now, the critics were watching.

The Dabangg belle followed it up with yet another ass-kicking role in Force 2, which is presently running at the theaters. Starring as R.A.W agent Kamaljit Kaur or KK, Sonakshi kicks, punches and shoots with as much dexterity as her male co-star John Abraham can manage, if not more. However, what's important to notice here is that Sonakshi is no more hiding behind his male co-stars but walking alongside them. This period right now is Sonakshi Sinha's renaissance as an actor, all the more exemplified by her upcoming films such as Noor and Ittefaq.

Shes sunshine mixed with a little hurricane. Shes every girl. Shes #Noor #IAmNoor Now arrives, 21st April, 2017 @TSeries @Abundantia_Ent pic.twitter.com/7RNEPaxGEm Sonakshi Sinha (@sonakshisinha) November 22, 2016

In Noor, which is reportedly an adaptation of Pakistani book Karachi, You're Killing Me! by Saba Imtiaz, Sonakshi plays a journalist who navigates through Mumbai on a day-to-day basis. She stars alongside indie star Purab Kohli and stand-up comedian Kanan Gill in Noor. Notice the change of co-actors in Sonakshi's new film. Suddenly, the actor is trying to do something new and open up a new market of audience. While earlier, Sonakshi Sinha had become a single-screen darling, now she is attempting to become a multiplex icon.

After this is the remake of Yash Chopra's thriller Ittefaq where Sonakshi Sinha stars alongside Sidharth Malhotra. Once again, Sonakshi will be in a character-oriented role and following such a slate of films, it would really be a crime to slot her as an actor of meaningless, masala films.

Seen from a perspective, Sonakshi who will turn 30 next year, needs to do character-oriented films where she is doing more than running around trees. After Vidya Balan changed the meaning of what a Bollywood heroine can be with 2011's The Dirty Picture and Kahaani the following year, the to-do list of any female actor has become diversified. Alia Bhatt has already raised the bar for what is expected of a female actor today. In the Alia-Shah Rukh episode of Koffee With Karan, speaking on Alia Bhatt, Shah Rukh said, "She (Alia) has become too good, too soon". Well too good too soon does not sound too bad. If Sonakshi Sinha becomes the latest role model in Bollywood for future female actors, then all the better.

(The writer tweets as @devarsighosh.)