For her performance in 'Dabangg' in 2010, Sonakshi Sinha won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
There’s this old belief in Bollywood — if you debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan, your career is pretty much set. Just look at Deepika Padukone or Anushka Sharma, and you'll understand. But there’s also a running joke (that’s not really a joke) that if you debut with Salman Khan, sure, you’ll get the limelight, but your career might not last. Think Nagma, Bhumika Chawla, Zareen Khan... the pattern is hard to ignore. So when Sonakshi Sinha made her debut with Salman in 'Dabangg', everyone thought they knew how this story would end. She was called a product of nepotism, her performance didn’t win critics over, and many assumed she would disappear after a few flashy roles. But Sonakshi surprised everyone. While she didn’t have the smoothest run (most of her early films were male-dominated, and she was often just there for the glam), she kept at it, honing her skills and growing steadily. And then came 'Dahaad'. If you’ve seen it, you know — this woman can act.
From 'Dabangg' to 'Heeramandi', Sonakshi has indeed come a long way. And on her birthday today, it’s the perfect time to look back at how Salman Khan spotted her — and gave her that first break.
Indian weddings are filled with dance, drama, unexpected reunions, and sometimes… Bollywood casting decisions. Yes, Sonakshi Sinha owes her big break in films not to years of auditions or theatre school, but to a glamorous wedding invite, hosted by actress Amrita Arora.
At the time, Sonakshi had gone through a major transformation—she had lost a lot of weight, was glowing, and was working as a fashion designer. At Amrita’s wedding, Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan spotted her.
"They saw me at Amrita Arora’s wedding. I had lost all the weight at that time," Sonakshi later recalled in an interview. “They told me they were writing something and thought I’d be perfect for the role. I never took them seriously.”
I mean, who would? Between sangeet songs and photo ops, a Bollywood script pitch sounds like an after-party joke. But the Khans weren’t joking.
Cut to a few days later: Sonakshi is back home when the Khan brothers show up at her house—script in hand.
“They came to my house and narrated the script. My whole family sat and listened,” she said. “They nodded, shook hands, and left. It felt like an arranged marriage.”
And that’s how 'Dabangg' happened. “It did feel like an arranged marriage,” Sonakshi added with a laugh. “But once I got on the sets, I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.”
Credit: koimoi
Honestly, if every arranged marriage came with a blockbuster hit and millions of fans, more people would be signing up.
'Dabangg' was released in 2010, and Sonakshi’s character Rajjo—a feisty small-town girl with silent strength and a mean stare—became an instant hit. She brought grace, grit, and a heavy dose of ‘thappad se darr nahi lagta’ energy to the screen.
With her performance, she made people sit up and say, “Who is that?” The film went on to become one of the biggest blockbusters of the year, and Sonakshi became an overnight star.
In a recent media interaction, #SonakshiSinha spoke candidly about her #Dabangg co-star #SalmanKhan. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/WnacgyQM3w
— Filmfare (@filmfare) May 4, 2024
Credit: Filmfare
Sonakshi’s story sounds like something out of a Bollywood movie itself. A girl walks into a wedding and walks out with a career. And Amrita Arora probably had no idea that her guest list would change someone’s life. But thanks to her shaadi, the industry got its Rajjo, Sonakshi found her path, and ‘Dabangg’ found its heart.
Happy Birthday, Sonakshi!
