Bollywood beauty Sonakshi Sinha wears her success with ease and panache.
The Dabangg star who overcame size-zero stereotypes to create a one hundred crore success story, got candid in an exclusive chat with tabloid! during her recent visit to Chennai.
Sinha was in the city for the audio launch of Lingaa, her Tamil debut, but showed no signs of butterflies during her third visit to Chennai. The last time she came here was in 2012 for a party thrown by actor-director Prabhu Deva.
“We were celebrating the success of Rowdy Rathore [her first film with Deva],” recalled Sinha, flashing her disarming smile.
And how can she ever forget her first visit to Chennai as a five-year-old?
Her father, Bollywood actor and now politician, Shatrughan Sinha, and Tamil star Rajinikanth are good friends.
“I was here with my family,” reminisced Sinha. “We visited Raijni Sir’s house where I met Aishwarya and Soundarya [Rajnikanth’s daughters]. I call them didi [elder sister] and they are protective about me.”
So when the offer to act opposite her father’s friend came up, she did not want to miss the chance.
“I was in the midst of shooting two films at that time and dates were an issue but I did not want to let go of this opportunity for a Tamil debut and that too with none other than Rajini sir.”
Nervous
From meeting the superstar at his house as a little girl to facing him on set as a co-star, Sinha confessed she was nervous on the first day.
When she expressed this to Rajinikanth, he asked her: “Why are you nervous? I should be, because you are my friend’s daughter.”
“That really broke the ice,” laughed Sinha, “and made me feel comfortable.”
Talking about Rajinikanth, she added: “Despite achieving stardom and sustaining his position in the industry for such a long time, Rajini sir is not complacent and continues to work hard. He is grounded and humble, that’s something you take back after working with him.”
In Lingaa, Sinha plays Bharati, a village girl in the 1940s who is in love with Rajinikanth’s character.
What about the language barrier? “I have worked on three films with Prabhu Deva and A.R. Murgadoss [Holiday, the Hindi remake of Thuppakki], so I have been around a Tamil unit for a good time.”
“My director Ravi Kumar took care of that,” continued Sinha. “He enacted scenes for me and trimmed long dialogues when I found them difficult. Sometimes, he changed lines to make it easy for me.”
Challenges
Any tough scenes?
“There was one very emotional scene where I am crying and asking Rajini sir’s character not to leave the village. It was quite taxing as I had to get the emotions right. I had to cry and read out from the placards with lines in English. I am at his feet, looking up at him and asking him not to go, but actually I was looking at the placards placed above his head and reading out my lines.”
What was it like romancing your father’s friend? “Well, I think it would have been more awkward for him. But as the romance is set in the 1940s, there are no provocative romantic scenes. Bharati stands by him and encourages him to build the dam. There is nothing physical in their romantic scenes.”
So, is she game for another Tamil film? “Of course, I would love to. With Dabangg, I didn’t know if I would continue until after the film’s release. But with Lingaa, I can definitely say that if I get a great story with a great role and a good team, I would love to be a part.”
With 12 films in four years working at breakneck speed, for one who began as a costume designer, Sinha admits being a reluctant actor. “I never wanted to be in front of the camera. It was Salman [Khan] who convinced me to become an actor.”
On a parting note, I wonder if Sinha had picked up a smattering of Tamil words. Pat comes her reply, “Konjam konjam [little little]” with that trademark smile.
