Sonakshi Sinha feels like her film debut 10 years ago, was just yesterday
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; September 15, 2020)

'Thappad se darr nahi lagta sahab, pyaar se lagta hai' — this punchline not only became her trademark, but also made Sonakshi Sinha a household name across the country. The year was 2010, when her debut film Dabangg, with Salman Khan, hit the theatres. What it did for her and Khan was unprecedented. And here she is today, reflecting on the past 10 years.

To begin with, Sinha wasn’t even interested in a career in films! “Life before my debut was going in a different direction. I was studying fashion designing, and was happy, until Salman and Arbaaz (actor, producer of Dabangg) spotted me, and felt I’d fit the role of Rajjo perfectly. I wasn’t asked if I want to do the film, I was told! (laughs) I felt at that point of time, the Universe was throwing something at me, and I should take it. I did,” she says.

The 33-year-old confesses it was while shooting Dabangg that she realised she enjoys this. Otherwise, even though her father Shatrughan Sinha was an actor, she didn’t visit his film sets. “I realised this is what I want to continue doing for the rest of my life. I started loving being on a set. I barely visited my dad’s sets when I was a child, so I was never inclined towards it. After Dabangg, it took a while to sink in that it has become such a big hit. People suddenly started recognising me on the streets, calling out my name. I’d go to cricket matches and people would say ‘You are the Dabangg girl’. Though I’ve seen my dad receive it (adulation), I never experienced it this way,” adds the actor.

Her decade-old career has been a roller coaster ride — it’s had a lot of ups, but some downs too. However, Sinha doesn’t sweat it. “I read this somewhere, if your graph was flat, that means you are dead! You have to have both highs and lows in your life, that applies to each and every person who has been in our industry, or any other business. The only way to stay sane is to treat success and failure the same way,” she says.

Sinha shares she has seen both crore-club films and those which didn’t garner numbers: “Whenever there’s been a ₹100-crore film, you don’t see me screaming from the rooftops, ‘My film was a super-duper hit’. And if it doesn’t do well, I won’t go into a shell, I’ll focus on what’s next. I treat my next film like my first one. It keeps me going.”

Asked if it has sunk in yet that it’s been 10 years already, Sinha laughs, “It feels I just made my debut yesterday. I worked with such amazing people, had lovely and bad experiences. I am thankful for everything. I want to make sure I work harder and not get complacent.”