The new year began with a rapid rise in Coronavirus cases, affecting our lives yet again, and showbiz is not untouched either. Film releases have been postponed, shoots have been affected. Actor Sonakshi Sinha, who has a busy year ahead in terms of projects, worries about the debilitating impact a third lockdown would have on the film industry.

“Not only the film industry, everyone has been badly hit [by the pandemic] in terms of jobs. The country as a whole cannot afford another lockdown. It is on us to be careful and responsible as citizens, to stop the spread [of the virus] as much as we can. I believe that people are taking this seriously, as they should, for the sake of everyone. Hopefully, we won’t have to move into a lockdown again,” says the 34-year-old.

On the professional front, things are looking bright for Sinha this year. Apart from making her web debut with filmmaker Reema Kagti’s Fallen, she will star in Double XL with Huma S Qureshi, and also has the horror comedy Kakuda in the pipeline.

Sinha, who is now working on losing the weight she had put on for Double XL, tells us, “Last year was so good for me, professionally. I finished three projects. Now I am getting in shape for my next project. Hopefully, I will start working on it by February.”

Having started her career with a commercial film like Dabangg (2010), the actor has come a long way, taking up projects which offered her more meat. She says this felt like the right time for her to experiment.

“This very exciting phase has come at such a perfect time, just when I was warming up and experimenting with roles. After 10 years of working, you want to do something different,” Sinha shares.

However, the one project which isn’t happening now is Bulbul Tarang. The film has been shelved due to the delays caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Sinha clarifies, “The film had been pushed a lot...There were many actors involved, so it was difficult for everyone’s dates to come together again.”