I am not a "bikini" actress - Sonakshi Sinha

Although she is the fiery Shotgun Sinha’s daughter, Sonakshi Sinha comes across as an extremely approachable and warm-hearted soul, an exact antithesis of her intimidating father. She doesn’t mind posing for shutterbugs and flashes her pearly whites when a female scribe tells her that she has lost oodles of weight. “Really. Please likho yeh sab,” says a jovial Sonakshi before ensconcing herself into the cushy chair at Eros’ office. This year has been a mixed bag on the professional front for the talented actress. She has had more releases than any A-list actresses in B-town on one hand but on the other not every movie of hers has hit the bull’s eye. While Once Upon Time in Mumbai Dobaara turned out to be a damp squib, Lootera did decent business and was appreciated by the intellectual movie patrons. The pretty lass also made a special appearance in Ajay Devgn starrer Himmatwalla and Akshay Kumar’s Boss, none of which really did wonders to her career. But Sonakshi could well sign off the year on a high as she has two biggies lined up for release- Prabhu Dheva’s R…Rajkumar with Shahid Kapoor and Bullett Raja with Saif Ali Khan. In a freewheeling chat with Tellychakkar.com, Miss Shotgun Junior goes candid as she reveals why she enjoys doing masala movies and why she will never wear a bikini or do hardcore love making scenes in movies, ever. You have had multiple releases this year and two of your next movies, R…Rajkumar and Bullett Raja are set to release one after the other in quick succession. How do you manage such a hectic schedule? (Smiles) I can say that I have mastered the art of shooting three to four films at the same time. So I am quite used to it by now. And finally every film is different from the other. So it’s fun working in different projects at the same time. This is your second movie with Prabhu Dheva. He comes across as a man of very few words. How does he direct when he speaks so less? Yes, you are right. He talks less but when he talks, he talks. He has a good sense of humour which keeps everyone happy and laughing on sets. He is a pleasure to work with and I am glad I got this opportunity to work with him again. In fact, when we were shooting for Rowdy Rathore he had narrated the script of R…Rajkumar to me and I just loved it from the word go and accepted it then and there itself. So would it be right to say that you are his lucky mascot? Lucky mascot!!! I don’t think so. Prabhu Sir doesn’t need a lucky mascot. He understands the pulse of the audience so well that he knows what exactly he needs to do. About repeating me, I think it’s all about a good working rapport that you develop with the director. I share a great working rapport with Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Prabhu Sir. So why did you decline Salman’s next movie Kick? It was offered to me long time back but it didn’t happen then due to various reasons. Now please don’t say Salman is upset with me or something because of that. You have had tremendous success with older actors like Salman and Akshay but not so much with the younger lot. Would you say that you share a great chemistry with older actors? (Thinks) I don’t know. It depends on which actor you are working with and the script of the movie and how it is ultimately received at the box-office. I believe the chemistry in Lootera with Ranveer was also very much appreciated. Even my chemistry with Shahid in R…Rajkumar is also being highly appreciated. So I don’t think it would be right to say I share a good chemistry only with older actors. But are you more comfortable with the older lot? (Looks a bit irritated) You have to build a comfort level with everyone you work with. You are here to work. So it doesn’t matter who is in front of you. Okay… Tell us about your role in R…Rajkumar? I play a young girl who stays in this town which is ruled by two men who are constantly at loggerheads with each other. I am niece of one of the men played by Ashish Vidyarthi. My character falls in love with Shahid’s character and then the movie revolves around how he has to face certain challenges to win me because I am from a bigger family. It’s a very well put together love story. It’s a quirky romance and not your usual boy-meets girl love story. So in real life are you a stickler for quirky romance? Oh yes, absolutely. I love quirky romance more than the mushy ones (winks). You have done masala entertainers which have been male dominated like Rowdy Rathore. How much importance will your role have in this movie? Yes, I have done action films earlier where stunts and other male-dominated action sequences have gained a lot of importance but in R…Rajkumar action as well romance both have been given equal importance. The hero who is fighting in the movie is fighting for his love that is me. Romance is the pivot on which the entire movie is based. Aren’t you tired doing such mass masala entertainers like R…Rajkumar? Not at all. I love such movies. And I feel masala genre is my favourite. The singing, the dancing, I love it all. We see you emerging out of a saree from the water. Why didn’t you don a bikini? The saree idea was of Prabhu Sir and he knows very well that I am not a bikini donning heroine. So he never brought up that topic. And in any case you guys always say do something different. So here it is. I have done something different now. And what about intimate scenes? I am not comfortable doing intimate scenes. It’s a matter of one’s personal choice. I am not comfortable and so I will never do it. You last film Once Upon A Time…didn’t do well. How much does a flop affect you? Well, when my films do well I don’t go out beating drums or screaming from rooftops saying my film is a hit. Similarly when my film flops I don’t sit in a corner and cry. You have to move on. When you are doing so much work you don’t have time to sit and dwell on it. You have to work harder for the next film. You have a highly successful career as compared to Shahid Kapoor. Doesn’t it bother you that you are working with a not-so- successful actor? I have never thought it about it in that manner. Finally what matters is that the person should be talented. And after working with Shahid I have realized that he is a very talented actor. There are people who just vanish into oblivion if their films don’t do well. But Shahid has sustained himself for so long in this industry and even today people want to watch him which is an achievement in itself. Lastly, do you think Ranveer-Deepika pair will be luckier at the box-office than Ranveer-Sonakshi? I hope so and I wish them all the very best. The promos (Ram-Leela) look fabulous and the pair should be more successful.