Sonakshi Sinha (pronounced [soːnaːkʂi sɪnɦa]; born 2 June 1987) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films and series.

[1] The daughter of actors and politicians Poonam and Shatrughan Sinha, she has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list from 2012 to 2017, and in 2019.

[2] Sinha rose to prominence by playing the leading lady in several male-dominated action films, including Rowdy Rathore (2012), Son of Sardaar (2012), Dabangg 2 (2012), and Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty (2014), in addition to appearing in a variety of item numbers.

Sinha received critical acclaim for playing a troubled woman suffering from tuberculosis in the period drama Lootera (2013), for which she earned a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

She studied at Arya Vidya Mandir and later graduated in the fashion design program at Premlila Vithaldas Polytechnic of Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University.

[14] Her performance was well received, with critic Taran Adarsh noting that "Sonakshi Sinha looks fresh, acts confidently and pairs off very well with Salman.

[18] Despite this, Rajeev Masand criticized her ornamental role, writing that Sinha "seems to exist in this film only to have her midriff repeatedly pinched by Akshay Kumar.

"[19] Her next film, Shirish Kunder's Joker (also opposite Akshay Kumar) proved to be a commercial disaster at the box office and received overwhelmingly negative reviews.

[20] Her third film, Ashwni Dhir's Son of Sardaar (opposite Ajay Devgn) was poorly received by critics but proved to be an economic success.

[24] Sinha's first film of 2013 was Vikramaditya Motwane's period romantic drama Lootera, placing her opposite Ranveer Singh.

"[27] Raja Sen agrees, saying that "Sinha plays Pakhi beautifully, creating a character who is immaculately wide-eyed and possesses casual, yet unmistakable, grace.

[29] The movie was a commercial disappointment, and critic Mohar Basu labeled her "a chatterbox replete with idioticity which the director frames as naiveness.

"[30] Sinha then appeared in Tigmanshu Dhulia's Bullett Raja opposite Saif Ali Khan, which was a box office flop.

[40][41][42] In his review, Rajeev Masand wrote: "Sonakshi Sinha, playing another simpering damsel in another South remake, once again has nothing to do.

[44] Sonakshi released her debut single Aaj Mood Ishqholic Hai in collaboration with Meet Bros on 23 December 2015.

Bollywood Life reviewed that "Sonakshi Sinha is believable in action scenes she got and ably supports John.

[52] Her performance received major acclaim, with one reviewer writing that "Sonakshi Sinha pulls off her character without appearing to try too hard.

"[53] Hindustan Times wrote that "Sonakshi looks quite convincing with the grimaces, pouts, eye rolls, scowls and goofy grins – displaying an amusing dorkiness.

[64] The same year, Sinha appeared in the female-oriented comedy film Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi along with Diana Penty.

[67] She next starred in the period romance film Kalank with an ensemble cast including Aditya Roy Kapur, Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan.

[75] In 2021, she starred as Sunderben Jetha alongside Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Nora Fatehi and Sharad Kelkar in the war drama film Bhuj: The Pride of India.

"busy gathering the scattered splinters of its insipid ideas made infinitely worse by resolutely ham-fisted treatment.

"[79] After this, she portrayed a plus size women, in the comedy film Double XL which was released in November 2022[80] with negative reviews from critics.

[87] Following this, Sinha played the dual characters of courtesan mother and daughter in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period drama Heeramandi.

[88] Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in found her to be "in-form" and added, "Sinha is utterly comfortable with Fareedan’s dastardly scheming; plus, she has the diction to carry off the aphoristic dialogue.

[97][98] Sinha is a self-professed animal lover, and she posed for a PETA campaign advocating the adoption and sterilization of dogs and cats.

[104] Nikita Sawant of Femina termed Sinha a "gifted actor" and noted, "Wry sense of humour, tinkling laughter and chilled-out persona are just a few of the many things right with her.

"[105] Commenting on her performance in Lootera, Devesh Sharma of Filmfare noted, "She's done her share of arm candy roles and even in those she managed to strike her own niche.

[112] Sinha is an endorser for brands and products including Dabur, Chik Shampoo, Provogue and Gitanjali Jewellers.