Sonakshi Sinha may not be enjoying box-office success these days, but OTT has turned out to be a major blessing for her career. The actress, who made a strong debut opposite Salman Khan in a blockbuster hit, couldn’t maintain the same momentum in mainstream cinema despite working in several big projects. However, the moment she shifted her focus to digital platforms, her work began receiving much more appreciation. The last three to five years clearly show that while Bollywood isn’t responding well to her recent choices, OTT has embraced her with open arms.

In recent years, Sonakshi has experimented with her roles and has been leaning more towards horror films. Unfortunately, her attempts haven’t yielded much success in theaters. Her last two supernatural-horror films failed to attract audiences. Interestingly, her horror-comedy released directly on OTT performed far better, proving once again that the digital space suits her far more than the big screen.

Despite a strong start with hits like Rowdy Rathore, Son of Sardaar, and Dabangg 2, Sonakshi’s box-office journey has been uneven. Films such as Akira, Tevar, Bullett Raja, and R… Rajkumar didn’t perform as expected. She did see some success when paired with Akshay Kumar in films like Holiday and Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara, but her solo projects or films with mid-tier stars struggled to make an impact. Movies like Laal Kaptaan, Khandaani Shafakhana, Welcome to New York, Ittefaq, and even the big-budget Kalank received limited appreciation.

Her recent releases also reflect a similar pattern. Over the past three years, films like Double XL and Nikita Roy managed to collect barely a crore or two, while Jatadhara was also declared a flop. None of her theatrical experiments seem to be helping her regain her earlier box-office standing.

However, OTT has completely reshaped her trajectory. Sonakshi made a powerful impression with the thriller series Dahaad, earning strong praise for her performance. She further cemented her digital presence with her double role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi, which was widely appreciated. Even though her OTT film Kakuda didn’t draw extraordinary attention, it was far from being considered a failure.

Looking at her recent career graph, it’s clear that audiences are connecting more with Sonakshi’s performances on OTT than in theaters. Her acting seems to resonate better in longer, character-driven OTT formats. While she has improved her craft and is confidently taking up solo-lead films, the box office remains a tough space for her. It now remains to be seen how she plans to overcome her declining theatrical performance and what projects she will pick next. For now, details about her upcoming films remain undisclosed.