Daughter of veteran actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, Sonakshi Sinha worked as a costume designer before stepping in front of the camera opposite Salman Khan in Dabangg (2010), a blockbuster debut that earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She spent the following years as the leading lady of massy hits like Rowdy Rathore, Son of Sardaar and Holiday, becoming one of the decade's most commercially reliable actresses.

Sinha has steadily pivoted toward more demanding parts — the wistful heroine of Vikramaditya Motwane's Lootera, an astronaut-programme scientist in Mission Mangal, a dogged cop in the streaming series Dahaad, and the courtesan Fareedan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's lavish Heeramandi. She married actor Zaheer Iqbal in 2024 and continues to mix film and streaming work.

Filmography Highlights

• Dabangg (2010) — Award-winning debut opposite Salman Khan
• Rowdy Rathore (2012) — Blockbuster action-masala hit with Akshay Kumar
• Lootera (2013) — Career-best reviews for the period romance
• Holiday (2014) — Hit action thriller opposite Akshay Kumar
• Akira (2016) — Rare solo-lead action vehicle
• Mission Mangal (2019) — Ensemble hit about India's Mars mission
• Dahaad (2023) — Acclaimed streaming debut as a small-town cop
• Heeramandi (2024) — Bhansali's Netflix epic; her Fareedan drew praise

Image: Wikimedia Commons. Part of the Top 50 Bollywood Celebrities series. Ranking inspired by popular industry listings; profiles are original editorial content.