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Dabangg Debut to Silver Jubilee : The Sonakshi Journey !

Sonakshi Sinha made her debut in Dabangg as the luscious village belle and Chulbul Pandey’s one true love Rajjo. With Dabangg 3 she completes 25 films in her nine-year-strong career.

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Sonakshi Sinha

Candid and cool, Sonakshi spoke to Bharti Dubey just days before Dabangg 3 hit screens, about her silver jubilee journey, co-stars Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, life after films, politics and waiting for marriage to happen.

How has the Dabangg journey been for you?

I think the best way to describe it is that my life has come full circle, because my first film was Dabangg and now my silver jubilee film is also Dabangg. This is my 25th film, which is such an amazing coincidence!

Since Dabangg happened, there was no looking back for me. I have worked non-stop. I think I have done so much work in the last nine years, I never even realised where the time has flown. It has been one film after the other. There has hardly been any break in the middle.

It is also because I have really enjoyed my work. I didn’t know that this is what I wanted to do in life, and when I reached the set and faced the camera for the first time, that’s when I realised that this is my true calling and this is what I want to continue doing. After that I just didn’t want to stop. So, I think, this is why I have worked at the pace that I have and done the amount of work that I have done.

And it has been a fantastic journey. I don’t think I would want to change anything.

This time when you went back on set for Dabangg3, on the first day which Rajjo did you go as?

(Laughs) You know what has happened now with Rajjo is that I can play the character in my sleep! I just have to drape that sari, wear the sindoor and the mangalsutra and I become Rajjo. Once you play a character and it is loved and appreciated so much, there is no point in changing it around. Also, because the story is the same. We are not changing the story of the franchise or the premise of the franchise with each film.

 

But, you know, the first time you were a newcomer and now you’ve played it so many times. How different was it playing Rajjo this time?

You know, as an artiste you are so comfortable with the space of the film Dabangg. That’s where I started, and I did it once in the middle and now I am doing it for the third time. There is a certain sense of comfort with that space and that zone, working with the same people who have been there from the very beginning and who have also seen me grow as an actor. Working with Prabhu sir (Prabhu Deva) — this is my fourth film with him — there is another level of comfort. So, it becomes really easy.

Salman 1 or Salman 3?

(Laughs) Same. No difference!

Is he protective even now? You have now done so much more work.

Ya, because our families’ relations go back so many years, long before the film. So for me, my dad and my family it was the most comforting thing that I was starting off with people who are so known to them and so dear to them. And he [Salman] is like that. Once he has taken you under his wing or he is protective about you, it is for life.

With the Da-Bangg Tour, wherever he was, he made sure you were there…. How do you describe Salman as a person?

He’s always been really encouraging. He also really appreciates me as a performer on stage. Which is why he makes sure that I am a part of the Da-Bangg Tour. He really treats me as an asset, which is amazing, you know. And I enjoy performing on stage. I feel that is one of my USPs. I love doing it and I’m really glad that I’m able to be a part of it.

He’s always been very supportive but he’s also very real. So when you’re going wrong or if he doesn’t like something you are doing, he’ll be very vocal about it and you have to take his advice seriously because he really knows what he’s talking about. And if he knows you as a person and if he feels that you can do better, he’ll really push you to do better.

Any instance you remember?

It’s been too long to pinpoint just one, but if he thinks you’re going wrong then he’ll give you a jhatka; if you’re doing very well, you know, he’s very stingy with his compliments. So he’ll make sure if he really appreciates something, then a nod will come, then you know he likes that. I think he’s a real person to have around, because he’ll tell you how it is.

“I can play the character in my sleep! I just have to drape that sari, wear the sindoor and the mangalsutra and I become Rajjo”

The other superstar you have worked with is Akshay [Kumar]. How is he as an actor and co-star?

Fantastic. I think as an artiste he’s the most disciplined artiste I’ve worked with and I feel that a lot of my work ethic I’ve learnt from Akshay. I’m as punctual as him, I enjoy going to work on time, leaving work on time. He’s on the set all the time, he doesn’t leave the set. He won’t go into the van to pass time. He’ll stay sitting on set, which is what I’ve also done in these nine years, I always do that. So, a lot of my ways of working I’ve learnt from Akshay.

And he’s very funny, he’s hilarious on set, always positive, always upbeat, always making everyone laugh. That’s the kind of attitude and the kind of person everyone likes having around, the energy around is always good. So that is really nice. I feel like he’s somebody whose work habits everyone should follow.

And as a co-actor also he’s fantastic. Whenever I need any advice, whenever I feel like he’ll be able to guide me in the right way, I always pick up the phone and he’ll always be there. Also, he’s a very calm person. So even if I’m getting hyper about something, all he’ll say is, “Dil shant ho ja tu!” He’ll always know how to calm me down and he’ll give the most practical advice on how to go about things. I really appreciate that from him.

Though you are always punctual, there used to be legendary stories about your dad [Shatrughan Sinha] in our times…

Absolutely (laughs)! We are like North and South. As non-punctual as my dad is, I’m that punctual. Today nine years have passed and I can proudly say that there hasn’t been one day when I have been late to set.

How would you describe your nine-year, 25-film journey?

As a learning experience, because whatever I have learnt, I have learnt on the set. I never did any workshops or go to any acting school or take dance classes. Nothing. I was literally thrown into the deep-end of the pool and told to swim. So, for me, every movie that I have done, I have learnt something from it. Every person that I have worked with, I have learnt something from them.

Even today, after nine years, no matter which film I am going to start, no matter who I am working with — a first-time director or a director who has done 500 films — my approach is that I am doing my first film. And I think somewhere that has also helped me sustain a career for so long and maintain it. So I think that is my approach.

I think I’ll sum it up as a great learning experience. I have been a part of so many different kinds of films, such a variety of characters I’ve played. Some have done so well, some have not done well at all. No matter what I’ve done, I have always learnt something from it.

“Even today after nine years, no matter which film I am going to start, no matter who I am working with, my approach is that I am doing my first film”

You used the word ‘sustain’, as an actress do you think that is difficult in this industry today?

It is always difficult to sustain [your career] in any field for that matter, not just here. You have to be on top of your game at all times. One thing about the audience is that they get bored very fast. If you don’t give them something new, if you don’t keep reinventing yourself, if you get complacent, it can go from under your feet as fast as it came. And that has happened to a lot of people.

There was a time where I asked Akshay, how do you keep choosing scripts one after the other that are super-duper hits? He told me, you know there was a time when I had 11 flops in a row, so you never know when time will change for you, so you have to do your best. So you have to be at it constantly. I would say it is definitely not easy to sustain.

 

How do you handle criticism?

When the criticism is constructive, when it is for my betterment, I will gladly accept it. I will think about it, I will see how I can better myself, see what I can do and why this person has felt like that and what I have done wrong. I’ll take it into consideration only if it is for my betterment. If the criticism will help me in some way, I’ll really consider it.

But if it is faltu ka criticism then there is no need to pay any attention. Today everybody has an opinion. Everybody has a pen or can write on the Internet. Everybody is a reviewer today. Kis kis ki suney hum (Who all do we listen to)?

When Lootera released, which was my best-reviewed film, I was reading a review by this guy who had written a good review but he had spent 1,000 words just talking about Ranveer [Singh] and my nose! And I thought what is this?! So now whether it is good or whether it is bad, I have stopped reading reviews. Honestly, the reaction of the audience is what is most important to me. So I like to concentrate on that.

Today, thanks to social media, no matter how much we complain about the trolls, there are a lot of positives too. It is a direct connect to your audience. You get to know what exactly they want.

How do you handle failure and negativity?

The same way you handle success. Because one day you have success, the next day there is failure. I have been taught to handle both in the same way. This is something that Salim uncle [Khan] had taught me a long time ago. That failure teaches a person more than success. So, if you make sure that you learn something from when you fail, I don’t think it is a failure at all. It happens to everyone, in every field.

In our industry, even the biggest stars, whether it is Salman or Shah Rukh [Khan] or Akshay, everyone has seen ups and downs. How else do you grow as a person if you don’t see both? I think it’s a beautiful journey and the ups and downs are all welcome. You just have to deal with it in the same way. When my film makes a 100 crore or a 200 crore, I don’t go and yell from the rooftop that my film is a hit. Similarly, if it doesn’t, I don’t sit and cry.

You have to move on, if you have to put all your energy, all your positivity into the next one. Make sure that you do well in that.

You have done a lot of masala films, potboilers, you have also done films that revolve around you. There was Lootera, then Akira and then Khandaani Shafakhana. Was it a conscious decision to choose films that centred around you?

Akira was the first film that came to me which was like that. The masala films that you are talking about, doing those actually gave me the courage to do films that I could carry on my shoulders. I got a certain audience doing these kinds of films, I got a kind of following, people who watch me. Which is what gave me the courage to take up a film completely on my own. And I love that!

As you said, I have done masala films and action films and a film like Lootera, so I want to be that heroine who does everything. An all-rounder. It is impossible for me to move in only one direction. I want to do everything. I have to keep myself excited as an actor. That’s why, if you see, this year itself in all my four releases, each role was so different from the other.

So it is not just about how much screen space you have but also the impact you make…

Correct, that is what is more important to me. What I can do with the role, what I can bring to it… I know what I can do. I have that much confidence in my capabilities. So whatever role you give me, I know I will do something good out of it. And I want to do things that are very different. I don’t want to be bored.

Today, every actress wants to make a place of their own, their niche in terms of cinema. What about you?

I think if I feel really strongly about a subject or a character or role… first of all that is the reason for me to do anything. I have to feel really strongly about it. And ya, if I want to invest in something, if I am the only one who believes in a certain character, a certain role or a certain script, I’ll go ahead and make it.

But if it is faltu ka criticism then there is no need to pay any attention. Today everybody has an opinion. Everybody has a pen or can write on the Internet. Everybody is a reviewer today. Kis kis ki suney hum (Who all do we listen to)?

Have you found something like that? 

Actually, I have been looking at a lot of things and I think we have found something now which all of us have agreed upon. You know, me and my brothers [Luv and Kush] are starting a production company. So we have all agreed on one thing finally. You know it takes time, especially when there are three people who are so different.

So who does the bossing out of the three of you?

I don’t do any dadagiri, though they think I do! None of us bosses the others around actually.

You do come across as a tomboy

I am. From childhood, I was very interested in sports. I would play all kinds of sports — throwball, basketball, volleyball, football, tennis, swimming, shot-put, discus throw — everything. Sports was what I was interested in. Then I started studying fashion designing after Class XII and then I became an actor.

Coming from a film background is there a pressure?

If you come from a film family, especially when your father [Shatrughan Sinha] is that kind of a legend, who has that kind of a legacy and who has done that much, has such a body of work and has been such a star, the way he is… you obviously want to live up to it. So, if you take that pressure then of course it will matter.

Have your parents ever told you why did you do this film or anything like that?

No, never. Papa toh is my biggest fan. According to him, I can’t do anything wrong. When he sees me on screen he gets lost in it, he is so proud of me. It is useless asking him if he thought it was good or bad because he will always like it (laughs).

Honestly, I am happy that I have been able to make them proud. When it comes to critique, mom will tell me this wasn’t that great, that you could have done better. She is practical and you know a mother’s advice is always forthright. So ya, it is very well-balanced in our house (laughs).

Is there any film that you turned down and then regretted not doing?

You know, there are a couple of films that you can’t do at some point for various reasons. Sometimes I couldn’t do a film because of my dates. Then there are decisions you make, but I have always stood by my choices. What didn’t happen, didn’t happen. That role probably wasn’t meant for me. I believe a role that is written for you will come to you.

“I know what I can do. I have that much confidence in my capabilities. So whatever role you give me, I know I will do something good out of it. And I want to do things that are very different. I don’t want to be bored”

So you believe in destiny?

Absolutely. I am here today because of destiny. I wasn’t even heading towards acting. I was heading in a different direction. I was studying fashion designing. I wasn’t interested in films. I never grew up watching films. I have probably seen only five or six of my father’s films. So I believe it was destiny. I was not asked if I wanted to do Dabangg; I was told that I am doing it.

There seems to be a backstory here…

I was an overweight teenager, I was studying fashion designing. Salman has been a family friend, so whenever we were at their house for Eid or when we met at Ganpati puja he would lecture me for an hour asking me what I was doing, telling me to lose weight and become an actress. What he saw in me back then I could never see in myself. I used to say how can you even say that, I can’t be in front of the camera. I have no interest and I don’t want to. He would say no, you have the acting bug in you.

I went to college and then I lost weight for my own health reasons, because I was 18 and I couldn’t run 30 seconds on the treadmill. Which is when my alarm bells started ringing.

After I lost weight Arbaaz bhai [Khan] saw me at Amrita Arora’s wedding and he told me they were writing this script and that it was great and I was perfect for the role, and that he would come to me when it was ready.

I forgot all about it. Because I was in fashion, I walked the ramp for a couple of my designer friends and that was it. Then one day, suddenly, Abhinav Kashyap, Arbaaz bhai, Dilip Shukla — the writer, my mom, dad and me are sitting in a hall, the script is being narrated. The minute the narration is done, everyone looks at one another, nods and shakes hands, like it happens for arranged marriages. It was basically like “baat pakki ho gayi hai”, our daughter is doing this film (laughs). No one asked me whether I wanted to do the film or not. I didn’t say whether I wanted to do it or not. It was just assumed that I would be doing it.

Looking back, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. That one day and my whole life changed.

“I want to be that heroine who does everything. An all-rounder. I want to do everything”

That is quite a backstory! Coming back to the present, a lot of actresses are turning entrepreneurs, do you have any plans like that or are you already investing in some business ventures?

My mom handles all my investments, you know it is good to invest in something other than what you are doing. But I don’t have business acumen. I am more of a creative person. I am not suited to business. My mind doesn’t work in that direction, but later on I would like to do something that I could call my own.

Will it be in cinema or in something else?

It could be anything. I really don’t know. I have studied fashion designing and I don’t ever want that education to go to waste, so maybe I can start something along those lines. I paint well, so I could do something on those lines. Painting is my go-to for unwinding. I am so relaxed when I am painting. I forget all my tiredness. It is like meditation.

I have been doing it since the time of Dabangg. Both Salman and I used to paint after shoot. In fact, Salman was the one who introduced me to painting. I used to sketch. I never graduated to paints and charcoal, he was the one who taught me all that. In the last two or three years, I have moved on to using a lot of colours and acrylic.

Right now, what movies are you working on?

Bhuj:The Pride ofIndia is going on. That is very exciting and it will be my first biopic. We shot in Hyderabad…

You didn’t shoot in Bhuj at all?

No. We’ve been shooting in Hyderabad. The conditions in Bhuj are too hot to shoot there. But we had gone there for two days to shoot a song. That was a very good experience.

It’s a lovely role for me, my first real-life character that I’ll be playing, Sunderben Jetha Madharparya. [A social worker and farmer who inspired 300 local women in Bhuj to step out of their homes to help restore an airstrip destroyed by napalm bombs dropped on the Indian Air Force base during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war.]

“No one asked me whether I wanted to do the film [Dabangg] or not. I didn’t say whether I wanted to do it or not. It was just assumed that I would be doing it. “Looking back, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. That one day and my whole life changed”

Have you met her?

I haven’t met her. I would love to meet her, because her role, this role, has come to me three times.

How?

First, someone was making a solo film on her; that didn’t get made. The second time also, someone came to me with the same story — of how she remade the runway overnight. That too didn’t work out. And the third time, the same role came in Bhuj. That’s what I’m saying, the role that is written for someone, they will do it. This is the true witness to that. Three times this role came to me, till it came to the third narration and I am playing this role in the third film!

Are you interested in politics?

Bilkul nahin (absolutely not). I used to go to my father’s campaigns long ago in my childhood. He doesn’t need me in his campaigns. I had gone for my mother, but again, as a daughter. In Lucknow she was doing it for the first time. So I thought I’d go and support her and that’s how I went.

Both of them keep themselves busy with politics?

Yeah, Dad more so. I think Mom has slowed down a bit. I don’t know, I have to speak to her, whether she wants to continue or not.

I think she should, things will change…

Let’s hope so.

Do you ever give your dad any advice?

No no! What advice could I give him? I think his advice is very important to me.

What is that one piece of advice from your father you always carry with you?

You have to look at life as a wheel, there’s always going to be ups and downs and you just have to keep going. I think that is something that I’ve really, really held on to.

“Since Dabangg 2 we were talking about Dabangg 3. And now finally it has got made. I hope that Dabangg 4 doesn’t take that much time to be made and we do everything quickly”

Have you thought about marriage?

I think about it every day! It’s not happening. (Smiles)

I’ve been wanting to do it since I was a child! I wanted to be married when I grew up. That was my dream. And all my friends have got married and I’m sitting here kunwari (unmarried). I’m saying it as a joke but I’ve always wanted to be married, have a family of my own. But when your time comes, it’ll come. You can’t rush it, you can’t push it. For now there’s nobody on the horizon. Jab ladka miley (when I find a boy) I think the first thing I’ll do is get married!

What do dad and mum have to say?

They’ll be happy if I’m happy. They don’t put pressure on me, they are okay, because they see that  I’m happy, I’m doing my work, I’m enjoying it. So that pressure doesn’t come from them, for which I am glad.

If you didn’t make films, what would you be doing?

If I didn’t make films, since I’ve studied fashion design, maybe I’d do something in that field, in styling or fashion or I’d open my own line. That could still happen. In my childhood I wanted to do so many things — first, I wanted to be an astronaut, then I wanted to study marine biology, I was very interested in science. But my maths was so bad that I wouldn’t have got admission into any science college! My mathematics is horrible, abhi tak 2+2 nahin aata. Then I wanted to play tennis at one point of time, I wanted to be a tennis player. Even though I was overweight, I was very good at all sports, I was very athletic. Then I studied fashion. I guess I would’ve done something in a creative field only.

Will there be a Dabangg 4? How is that one going to be?

I didn’t even know what was going to happen in Dabangg 3 till it was made. Since Dabangg 2 we were talking about Dabangg 3. And now finally it has got made. I hope that Dabangg 4 doesn’t take that much time to be made and we do everything quickly. But I don’t know actually. If the story has to be taken forward then we have to find a good script; we’ll wait.

Finally, do you feel there are genuine friends or enemies in the industry?

Very few. I genuinely feel like it’s a very fickle place. I feel that you should come and do your work and keep a good equation with everyone, because that’s how I’ve always functioned. I believe in being good with everyone.

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