SONAKSHI: 'Fame is a bit daunting sometimes'

A former Lakme Fashion Week model and aspiring fashion designer, Sonakshi Sinha made her acting debut in the 2010 film Dabangg. Starring Salman Khan, the film went on to become one of Indian cinema's highest grossing films and won her a Best Debut Filmfare award.

With high expectations for her second release Rowdy Rathore Sinha tells Digital Spy what makes Akshay Kumar so much fun to work, what her dad, '70s screen star Shatrughan Sinha thinks of her work and how she copes with the rigors of her new-found fame.

Rowdy Rathore releases this week. Can you tell us something of your character in the film?
"I play Paro in the film. She's a very sweet Indian girl. She falls in love with this man who is completely the opposite to her. He's a rowdy character. Very naughty and full of masti. She falls for him and it's about how the love story, the action, the drama unfolds. That's what the movie is all about."

What was it like being directed by Prabhu Deva and working with Akshay Kumar?
"It's been absolutely fantastic. The entire team of Rowdy Rathore have been tremendous. Prabhu Deva as a director? Whatever I say about him is going to be less, because he's so good. He knows exactly what he wants out of his actors and how to get it out of them and he's a great person along with being a great director. He was very calm, very composed on sets and never phased by anything. He has so much energy, and how he made us dance!

"The songs were hard, but fun to shoot. And Akshay Kumar. Of course, I worked with him before. The more you work with him the better it gets, because he's so full of life and always fun. He's always joking, playing pranks on people and making everyone around him laugh basically. He's a great co-star to have."



You scored a huge hit with your debut film Dabangg opposite Salman Khan. What was it like working with him?
"Salman Khan is the best co-star that I could have ever started off with. He's very supportive, very chilled out and very nice to work with, so working with him was a great start to my career.

"I'm pretty much working with everyone that I'd like to work with, but I started my career with absolutely no reservations. I'd like to work with everyone. If I like the story, if I like the script, the director, the producer, I'm okay with that."

You received a Filmfare Best Debut award for your performance in Dabanng. How did it feel to receive such accolades for your first film?
"It felt great. It was something that I didn't expect. You know, I didn't intend to even become an actor. I was studying fashion and I think acting just happened by chance. It really felt more like I was watching a movie from outside, like it was happening to someone else. It's been a great journey so far."

Your father Shatrughan Sinha was a huge star of Indian cinema, but how have you found the experience of fame now the spotlight is directly on you?
"It's a very different experience for me. That's exactly what it is. You have to be constantly aware of how you carry yourself and conduct yourself and the focus is directly on you.

"It's a bit daunting sometimes, it can be hard, but you get through it. Every day is a new day and you just have to keep going on and deal with whatever life throws at you."

How has your father influenced your career and how does he feel about your recent success?
"He's definitely a very proud father. He has always been. I've got him wrapped around my little finger and it's a great relationship I share with him, and it's so nice to see him so proud of his children. It's amazing.

"Of course, he has a lot of advice to give and tremendous experience of this industry over years, and whatever he says is an asset to me. I sit with him and we discuss my movies and what I'm doing next. We were shooting in Bihar where my father is actually from. It's a great relationship."

You have six more films scheduled for release, including Son Of Sardar, Lootera and Dabanng 2. Is commercial cinema your focus?
"So far, yes, I have been doing only commercial films because those are the kind of films that came my way. Those are the kind of films that I liked, but definitely I'm open to doing other kinds of cinema as well and if something comes along - if I like a character - then I would definitely do something off-beat or edgy. I'm a hard-working girl and I have a lot to learn yet. I want to do it all."