After a string of box office failures, Sonakshi Sinha hopes year ahead will be a game-changer with four promising projects under her belt
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; January 31, 2019)

Her last few films may have been box office turkeys, but Sonakshi Sinha is optimistic that 2019 will change things around for her. Shotgun Jr has impressive projects to boot - having wrapped up the post-Partition drama Kalank, the actor is currently shooting in Amritsar for Mrighdeep Lamba's yet untitled comedy. She will then resume her shoot for Mission Mangal that reportedly sees her as one of the ISRO scientists behind the Mars Orbiter Mission.

In cherry-picking her projects, the actor says she has made a conscious effort to be part of stories that belong to diverse worlds. "What made me opt for these films is that [they gave me a chance to] narrate different stories and play characters that are so far apart from each other. The headspace of each character is individualistic, and every director's narrative is different, which makes the entire process riveting," says Sinha.

In her nine-year long career, she has seamlessly graduated from masala films to content-driven cinema. Point out how her last few offerings haven't spun their magic and she is assured that, given the evolving taste of the audience, she will shine. "We are in a great phase in terms of the content that is being churned out, and the audience is wonderfully accepting of it. Be it Dabangg (2010), Lootera (2013), Akira (2016), Noor (2017) or Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi (2018) - each of my roles has different shades and textures. The promising times ahead will only aid my effort to diversify my offerings as an artiste."

What excites her the most about the year ahead is teaming up with Salman Khan for Dabangg 3. The cop franchise is set to roll in April. "It feels like I am back home because that's where I started my career. My life changed completely after that film, it's how I found my calling. Dabangg will always be the most special to me."