Sonakshi Sinha is also a fashion designer. She designed costumes for movie Mera Dil Leke Deko in 2005. She made her acting debut in the 2010 film Dabangg co-starring Salman Khan. It went on to become one of the highest grossing Bollywood films.

In 2012, she appeared in Prabhu Deva’s Rowdy Rathore. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics, although had a strong opening at the box office, collecting approx. `15.06 crore (US$2.74 million) on the first day and eventually became a “Blockbuster”. Sinha appeared in Shirish Kunder’s Joker, which was released on August 2012 release, but was unsuccessful at the box office. She starred in Ashwini Dhir’s Son Of Sardar alongside Ajay Devgan and Arbaaz Khan’s Dabangg 2, the sequel to her immensely successful debut film, Dabangg with Salman Khan collecting millions. Sonakshi has been signed opposite her Rowdy Rathore and Joker co-star, Akshay Kumar along with Imran Khan for Once Upon a Time Again, the sequel to Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, set for release in 2013, along with Vikramaditya Motwane’s Lootera and Sajid Nadiawala’s Judwaa 2. She has also been signed on for Prabhu Deva’s Namak opposite actor Shahid Kapoor.

“With every film in which I am acting, I think I am learning more and more by trial and error method since I am not a trained actress”

SONAKSHI SINHA tells Jyothi Venkatesh

How was your experience of working in DABANGG2?

Being a part of DABANGG 2 is to me like being back to base- home, since I had actually started my journey as an actress with DABANGG exactly three years ago with DABANGG

How was Arbaaz Khan as a director?

I told Arbaazbhai that he should have started his career as a director long time back. I feel that he is a fabulous director. It is quite tough for him to manage to juggle all the three together meticulously- acting, producing and directing but he has done a fabulous job of all the three departments in DABANGG 2.

Three of your films have collected 100 cr plus- DABANGG, ROWDY RATHORE and SON OF SARDAR. Do you smell whether a film will collect over 100 cr when you sign it?

I do not think any one thinks that when any one signs a film, he or she thinks whether it will fetch 100 cr at the box office and then decide to accept it. When I sign a film, I think about what my role is and what my performance ought to be and not whether it will fetch the producer 100 crore plus or not. No one thinks that way in the film industry.

Destiny made me an actress. I was smug as a star daughter and studying for fashion designing when Salman Khan,  encouraged me to try my hand at acting

How would you evaluate your growth as an actress from DABANGG to DABANGG 2?

I have been part of five films till date- DABANGG, ROWDY RATHORE, JOKER, OH MY GOD and now DABANGG 2. With every film in which I am acting, I think I am learning more and more by trial and error method since I am not a trained actress and I thirst to learn more and more. I learn by acting with new technicians, new actors. You keep growing with each and every film that you get the opportunity to be part of.

Would you say that you are enjoying your phase in the film industry right now?

Kal kya hoga mujhe bilkul pata nahin hain but I would not at all hesitate to state that I am enjoying the phase with which I am in the industry right now ever since I had made my debut with DABANGG. I do not think I will ever let myself burn out by ageing to do more films than what I am humanly capable of. Having worked with the best of actors, technicians in the industry, I feel I am blessed though let me confess that I cannot look at myself critically and actually look up to my mother for critical comments. My father loves me and thinks that whatever I do is the best while my mom sits with me sometimes when I hear the narration of any film. I take my mum’s opinion very seriously and the best part is that my mom is very honest about whatever she feels and tells me frankly.

You do not seem to have any Tamil film in your kitty. Why?

Though it is sad that I couldn’t do Kamal Haasan’s Tamil –Hindi bilingual film VISHWAROOPAM when it was offered to me, it does not mean that I am averse to working in films down South. If I get the right offer, I am game to be part of Tamil and Telugu films.

How important is money to you?

I still am living comfortably with my parents. Money has never been an issue for me. I do not look at the size of my role when I sign a film. When I sign a film, I crave to do something different.

In what way is Arbaaz’s style of direction different from that of Abhinav Kashyap’s?

Abhinav Kashyap who had directed DABANGG was a writer in the film industry for the last 13 years. On the sets of DABANGG since I was new he used to literally act out and show. Arbaazbhai also acts and shows me but tells me that he expects me to deliver my lines on my own since I am no longer a new comer like I was when I was on the sets of DABANGG.

In the first part you became Mrs. Chulbul Pandey from Rajjo. How has the romance between Chulbul and Rajjo evolved now that they are man and wife?

It’s been wonderful. In most of our films, we don’t get to see the romance that takes place after the hero and heroine get married. So in a way this is a refreshing change. There are some really sweet and even funny situations between Mr. and Mrs. Chulbul Pandey which I am sure people will enjoy. It was not tough for me to get into the skin of my character in DABANGG 2 since I was in clue with the character having played the same role earlier in DABANGG. To play a married woman living outside Mumbai was very tough for me since I am still a young unmarried girl in real life and to get into the skin of my character, I had to adopt a difficult body language, with the help of Arbaaz.

In what way has life changed for you since you made your debut with DABANGG?

Frankly I’d say that though I had actually strayed in on the film scene purely by accident, today I would not know what to do, if I had even a single day free without shooting. Destiny made me an actress. I was smug as a star daughter and studying for fashion designing when Salman Khan, who is like family to me goaded me to be fit and shed my weight  and encouraged me to try my hand at acting and even offered me his own home production DABANGG I play a married woman in DABANGG 2.

How many films do you have up your sleeves now?

Today I am having two films on the floors. They are Vikramaditya Motwani’s LOOTERA in which I have been teamed opposite Ranveer Singh and Milan Lutharia’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAI 2 in which once again Akshay Kumar is my leading man. I will work in both Tigmanshu Dhulia’s BULLET RAJA opposite Saif Ali Khan and Prabhu Dheva’s NAMAK very soon. Viewers should look forward to a lot of dance in NAMAK, given Prabhu Dheva and Shahid Kapoor’s association with it.