Sonia Rathee (born 25 December 1996) is an Indian-American actress, model, and dancer who works primarily in Indian television and film. She is best known for her starring roles in the romantic drama series Broken But Beautiful (ALTBalaji) and the Netflix comedy Decoupled, as well as the films Tara vs Bilal and Kapkapiii. Rathee is also featured in Badshah's 2022 music video, "Chamkeela Chehra," and King's "Sarkaare."
Sonia Rathee spent part of her life in Southern California – specifically San Diego – and, pursued higher education in the United States. She later moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in acting.[1][2][3]
Career: sequence and critical reception
Rathee at a promotional event for Kapkapiii, May 22, 2025.
Rathee made her acting debut in 2020 opposite to Vishal Vashishtha in the YouTube short filmShaadi Aaj Kal: A Wedding Story by FilterCopy.[4]
In 2021, Rathee rose to prominence portraying Rumi Desai, a lead character in all ten episodes of the third season of the romantic drama web series Broken But Beautiful, in English and Hindi, streaming on ALTBalaji and MX Player. She starred opposite Sidharth Shukla, earning widespread recognition for her performance,[5][6][7] including a 2021 International Iconic Awards nomination for "Best Actress in a Web Series."[8]
In the same year, Rathee also played Masha in episodes 3 to 8 of the first season of the Netflix comedy series Decoupled, starring R. Madhavan and Surveen Chawla, which was released in both English and Hindi.[9][10]
Rathee starred as the lead in Badshah's 2022 music video "Chamkeela Chehra", directed by choreographer Punit Pathak. The music is on Badshah's album, Retropanda Part 1. In the music video, Rathee – the choreographed lead (backed by dance ensemble) - portrays a thief in a stylized bank heist. She trained in action choreography and performed the video's viral "hook step".[a][13][11][14]
Rathee also starred as the female lead in King's 2023 music video "Sarkaare," from his album New Life, directed by Arsh Grewal. The video, a nostalgic nod to early 2000s Bollywood romance, features Rathee alongside King.
In Night Encounters, a horror film in English and Hindi, released May 2023, Rathee plays a character named Sonia, with all principal actors—including her brother Ankur Rathee — portraying characters who share their real first names. The film was directed by Simmer Bhatia and filmed in Lonavala, India. The film was produced by Call Sheet Media LLC (Los Angeles; David Lautrec and Thomas Haldeman, managing members) and Kotadia Films (Sanjay Kotadia). The screenplay was a finalist at the Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival in 2018.
In 2025, Rathee is set to star in the upcoming Indian film Bhai Bhai (from Hindi and Gujarati, meaning "Brother Brother" or more idiomatically, "Brothers"), directed by Dhwani Gautam. The film, currently in production, features her alongside Esha Gupta and Maniesh Paul, with no confirmed release date or plot details announced as of July 2025.[19][20][21]
In addition to acting, Rathee is a dancer and maintains a YouTube channel where she posts dance cover videos.[22][23]
Rathee described the experience as "absolutely surreal", expressing her excitement at playing alongside NBA legends and with her brother on the opposing team.[31]
↑ Hook-step: In Indian popular music, especially in Indian hip-hop and Bollywood contexts, a hook-step is a catchy, repeatable dance move performed during a song's chorus (main repeated section). Often simple and visually distinct, it becomes closely associated with the track and is designed for easy imitation by fans and social media users. In "Chamkeela Chehra" (2022), Badshah and Sonia Rathee perform a fan-created hip-hop-inspired hook step that had gone viral prior to the video's release.[12]
↑ The International Iconic Awards are organized privately and primarily focus on honoring Indian film, television, OTT, and music performers. Established by Mohammed Nagaman Lateef, the awards are promoted through social media platforms (e.g., Instagram and X) and cater to regional media segments. While branded "International," the awards are largely Indian in scope, have no formal affiliation with government bodies or major industry guilds, and are best understood as part of the fan-driven entertainment awards ecosystem.[32]
↑ Officially listed as "Iconic Best Actress of India OTT" by the International Iconic Awards. While the awards use the term "OTT" (Over-the-Top) to describe digital streaming content, this is broadly equivalent to what is commonly called a "web series" in entertainment reporting. OTT refers to platforms like ALTBalaji, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar, which deliver content directly to viewers via the internet, bypassing traditional broadcast or cable. A web series is a scripted, episodic format made specifically for these platforms. Sonia Rathee's role in Broken But Beautiful, for example, qualifies as both a web series and part of the Indian OTT ecosystem, having been released on ALTBalaji.
Bhai Bhai (film) (In English, Gujarati, and Hindi). Directed by Dhwani Gautam, starring Esha Gupta, Sonia Rathee, and Hiten Patel. Produced by Nube International. IMDb. Title id: tt29383412. July 2025. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
Saini, Narendra (May 22, 2025). Video | "तुषार कपूर से खास बातचीत"["Exclusive Interview With Tusshar Kapoor [interviewees also include Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Rathee]"] (online video: 19 mins., 45 secs. → facing interviewees (from left to right): Siddhi Idnani, Tusshar Kapoor, and Sonia Rathee) (in Hindi). Archived from the original on May 23, 2025. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
Tusshar Kapoor discusses his career, his films—Kapkapiii, Rang de Basanti, and Golmaal — his personal journey as a single father and his film Bachelor Dad, and he reflects on his father, Jeetendra. Sonia Rathee shares memories of working with Sidharth Shukla, both as an actor and as a person. Siddhi Idnani recounts a ghost story and a supernatural incident from the set of Kapkapiii.
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