Sonakshi Sinha emphasises on self-defence course for school girls and shares details of her action film with AR Murugados. By S Mallik
She strutted down in a white shirt teamed with a jacket and a pair of black penny loafers but carried honesty on her sleeve. In her forthcoming Action Jackson, she dons the role of a young Mumbai girl who always finds herself in trouble. “When Ajay told me about the movie, he said they needed a girl with good comic timing. And since I have worked with both Prabhu sir and Ajay in the past, I guess that they could gauge that I could do justice to the role.” The movie also stars Yami Gautam and Manasvi Mamgal.
Sonakshi also appreciated the change in choice of the audience. “I think people like it when an actress breaks the mould of being an eye candy. They are accepting this change. I don’t think I would have survived four years in the industry if it hadn’t been the case. People find a certain sense of relatability if you carry yourself in a very real way and not try to be somebody else. Why should anybody be told to look a certain wayIJ I have always projected a very healthy body image right from the beginning. I have been on both the sides of the fence — I have been on the obese side in my growing up days and am really fit now. And that is what I advocate, I don’t want young girls to starve themselves and become unhealthy.” She also said that she has never felt the pressure of losing weight. “I think the media should back off a bit and let people realise that everyone has a different body shape and form. And irrespective of whether a girl is in a burkha or a salwar, she deserves the same amount of respect.”
When asked about choosing similar kind of roles in male-centric films, she said, “I don’t believe anybody would go ask Salman and Shah Rukh the same question. I have explained myself in the past that I associate with a film that people would love to watch. I am very happy with what I am doing. But I do take a detour, like I did lootera after Son of Sardar, because it struck a chord.” She believed that breaking an image just because people pick on it should not be a reason for any actor to do a movie they don’t connect with.
Being a part of lingaa, on the other hand, has been a very different experience for the starlet. “I could not have asked for a better debut in South, especially Tamil films. I was initially very nervous but the entire team was very supportive. Tamil was a language that I could neither understand nor speak and it was an alien industry. It was the best experience of my life. The biggest bonus of the movie was the chance to act with Rajnikanth,” she said.
Sonakshi, who has always played a very self-sufficient woman in all her films, feels that every school curriculum should have self defense classes. “It is the need of the hour. Every girl needs to be trained in at least one form of self defense. I was lucky to have karate as part of the extracurricular activity and I did it for a while. The Haryana incident should be an eye-opener that even if nobody steps forward then girls should be capable enough to stand up for themselves,” she shared.
After the back to back release of Action Jackon, Tevar and lingaa she will be on board for AR Murugadoss’ film, which will be woman-centric.
“I will be doing a lot of action in the movie, so I guess it will break whatever image my audience feels that I have upheld for so long,” said Sonakshi, who had previously been directed by Murugadoss in Holiday.
With 13 movies in her kitty, Sonakshi looks forward to waking up every morning and going on set, getting ready — hair, makeup costumes — and facing the camera. “When you enjoy doing something it gradually becomes less like work,” she said.
photo Sanjeev Kumar