Sonakshi Sinha: I Am Answerable Only To My Parents

Sonakshi, you must be happy to be finding Akshay’s company. After all, you seem to be having some real fun, if songs of Rowdy Rathore are any indication.
Though Rowdy Rathore is coming first, Akshay and I had shot quite extensively for Joker. So if people are noticing funny-and-naughty antics between us, credit it to the fact that there is a certain comfort level that we have reached.

You started your career with Salman Khan (Dabangg) and are now also shooting with Ajay Devgan (Son of Sardar), Ranveer Singh (Lootera) and of course Salman (Dabangg 2) again. While one waits to see how the ‘jodi’ appears in each of these films, what is it that makes you tick with Akshay?
The best part about working with Akshay is that he makes everyone very comfortable on the sets. When you are around him, you would find laughter and smiles all over. The results show in Chammak Challo Chel Chabeli which is the first thing we shot for Rowdy Rathore.

I also heard that since you were shooting for a large chunk of Joker and Rowdy Rathore almost simultaneously, there was also a standing joke between the two of you.
(Laughs) Yes, in fact Akshay used to say that ‘Achcha Sonakshi, so which film are we doing today’. We were getting into a switch on-switch off mode going from the sets of one film to another. The camaraderie is there to be seen because he never gives you an impression that ‘Mujhe dekho, main itna bada star hoon‘. He is very easy going and so down to earth.

Still, one does wonder though that with a big star like Akshay who is also playing the title role of Rowdy Rathore, how much of the screen time have you managed for herself. After all, it was Salman who hogged the limelight in Dabangg and now even Rowdy Rathore is a male centric out and out action affair.
No, that’s actually a misconception about Rowdy Rathore. There are good elements of romance also in the film. Since the Telugu version was quite long, there were comic sidetracks as well due to which romance seemed like taking a backseat. However since Rowdy Rathore is far crisper, the romance would be far more evident. Also, Prabhu Devaa has ensured that the part played by me is definitely better than the original. With some amazing song and dances that I have bagged for the film, it is a win-win situation for all involved.

Meanwhile, even though you have by and large steered clear of any controversy whatsoever and have maintained a stoic attitude towards gossip mills, there are still times when something nasty is written and you are pushed to a corner. For a young girl like you who is just one film old and comes from an affluent family, doesn’t that turn out to be unnerving at times?
Of course there are things being written that are absolutely wrong but in such cases I am answerable only to my parents and not anyone else. I know that my family knows what I am doing and they are in constant loop about the work that I am doing and the people I am meeting. Other than them, let the world say what it has to; I can’t have a control over that. In fact these days when I wake up, I don’t even read newspapers (smiles).