Sonakshi Sinha toughens up to play a cop in streaming debut Dahaad

Bollywood actress plays a small-town officer hot on the heels of a serial killer in the eight-part series

Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha plays a small town cop in the the crime drama Dahaad. Photo: Amazon Prime Video

Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha says being offered her latest role, that of a small-town policewoman on the trail of a serial killer, was like being "hit in the face".

In Dahaad, which also marks her streaming debut, Sinha plays sub-inspector Anjali Bhaati in a small town in Rajasthan, who is tasked with capturing a seasoned criminal whose victims are all women. As the body count rises, Anjali and her all-male teammates race against time, amid simmering communal tensions, to nab the culprit before another innocent woman is found dead.

"I was at a point in my life where I was truly waiting for a role like this, a character like this," Sinha tells The National. "And when it came to me, I was so stunned by it, that I immediately agreed to do it.

"Everything about the show, from its creators to the way it's written, the characters... everything just felt right."

Created by acclaimed directors Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti via their production company Tiger Baby Films, all episodes of the eight-part drama are being directed by Kagti and Ruchika Oberoi. It premieres worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on Friday.

Sinha, 35, who made her Bollywood debut with the 2010 blockbuster Dabangg, says working with an all-women team was an added bonus.

"A director is a director at the end of the day. But working with Reema and Ruchika on this has been fantastic. The kind of subject the show deals with, they bring a certain sensitivity to it as women. And they know exactly what they want out of the actors," she says.

"We're all pretty much in sync with each other in terms of what they want of my character Anjali. Just like her, they're go-getters and stubborn women, and will get their way no matter what it takes.

"Also, the entire production team is made up of a lot of women. And I must say this was a very, very smooth set. Most sets should be like this," she adds, laughing.

Born in Mumbai to Shatrughan Sinha, one of the top Bollywood stars in the 70s and 80s, and actress Poonam, Sinha says she had to really sink her teeth into the role of a small-town cop.

"Reema made sure that all of us actors did workshops to learn the dialect as it's very different from the way I normally speak," she recalls.

Physically too, she had to train in judo for months as Anjali is portrayed as a judo champion.

"I did not want anything to look out of place. So I wanted to get the physicality right. I also learned how to ride a bike," she says.

"I was not really concerned about looking skinny or thin. I just wanted to look fit and tough. And once that uniform comes on, everything changes. You get this sense of authority, this sense of power. And I had to do the rest."

Now that she's tasted what it's like to work on a series compared to shorter-term commitments required for films, Sinha says she'd love to do more. She's currently filming Heeramandi, the TV series debut of visionary Bollywood filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is known for his grand productions. Besides Sinha, the Netflix show set in 1940s India features an ensemble cast including Manisha Koirala, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sharmin Segal and Sanjeeda Sheikh.

"I enjoy doing TV shows because I get to live with the character a little bit longer than I would in a film. I get to hone in and develop her," she says. "Also, as an actor, it gives you more time to get better at playing the character."

In Dahaad, the chaos caused by the series of murders plays out against the backdrop of simmering communal tensions. And the killer does not hesitate to take advantage of those tensions to hide their crime.

Sinha says she wasn't concerned about some of the themes tackled in the show: "You see it in all aspects of life around you. So I felt it was fine to speak about it," she says. "And the way that it's been woven into the story, it's very beautiful. I feel it didn't seem jarring at all.

"In fact, I think there are certain instances and issues that must be touched upon. As artists and creators, we have a certain responsibility towards our society. And this is the way that we can contribute. So there are certain things that I feel I'm glad have been touched upon."

Dahaad has given her the courage to wait for the right roles: "It's quality over quantity for me now," she says.

But for now, she's looking forward to seeing what her father thinks of her playing a policewoman.

"He's always wanted to see me in uniform and he's going to watch it on the 12th with everyone. And I'm actually quite excited to see what he thinks," she says.

Dahaad streams worldwide from Friday on Amazon Prime Video