Sonakshi Sinha confesses: I have done films where I wasn't equal to the male lead

Fifteen years in the industry can teach you a few things. For Sonakshi Sinha, it seems to have taught her how to cut through the noise. With her latest release Nikita Roy and the Book of Darkness, she continues to pick roles that centre around women without feeling the need to label them as such. She’s not here to make a loud point. She’s here to do roles that feel honest, and to keep going even when the tide isn’t always in her favour.

What follows is a candid exchange with Sonakshi where she speaks about not buying into clichés around women-led roles, why she chose to lead films like Akira and Nikita Roy, and how she handles periods when things aren’t working out.

Q: What I’ve always found fascinating is how people keep talking about women-led roles in a very clichéd manner. I find it clichéd because you don’t even have to look at it as a woman-led role. It’s a character, and that’s what is important. A strong person is playing that character, and I believe that’s more important. So when I see an Akira or a Nikita Roy, I don’t see it as that. What I want to know from you is, do you also have that belief? Or was it a more conscious call where you felt, I have to do this to make a statement, as opposed to the character simply being important to you as an actor?

Sonakshi: No, it's not about making a statement. It became about wanting to project women in a very strong and very positive light on screen. Honestly, I had done the kind of films where my character probably was not at par with the male lead. So I became that for myself. It was not about making a statement. It was about satisfying myself creatively as an actor, doing the kind of roles that I would love to see, projecting women in a very strong light on screen. And I enjoy doing that. It's really liberating, it's really empowering. So yeah, and once I started with Akira, I don't think there was any looking back.

Honestly, I had done the kind of films where my character probably was not at par with the male lead. So I became that for myself.

- Sonakshi Sinha (as told to India Forums)

Q: Is there any impending worry you have as an actor when, let's say, things are not working out for a slightly longer period? Of course, nobody wants their films not to work, but as you mentioned, it's beyond your control. Still, does it become an impending worry after a point of time?

Sonakshi Sinha:
I try not to let it. It could. I won’t deny that it could become a worry, but I try not to let it bother me too much. I just keep telling myself that okay, it's been 15 years, you're still standing strong. Yeah, that’s true. Yeah, don’t worry. Keep going. I think it's you sustain. I think no matter what you keep going.

Now, when it comes to her career and personal front, Sonakshi has indeed found herself to be amongst the newsmakers consistently. Early on in her career, she would be remarked upon for her choice of roles and then she did make a difference to do solo films like Akira, Noor and so on, there wasn't adept box-office success to aid that.

Now, Sonakshi had another box-office failure in the form of Nikita Roy but she would move on to look forward to her future projects certainly. She might be a part of Heeramandi 2 and only a while ago, it was confirmed that Dahaad has been renewed for a second season as well.