“Dabangg is on Salman's shoulder” – Sonakshi Sinha

This new birdie is on a high even before the release of her debut film, and she's got all the reasons to be. Now the reasons - Vidya Balan calls her and praises her look and dialogue delivery in the first promo of her upcoming film. Rani Mukherjee too calls her and congratulates her. Then some hundreds of fans on twitter compare her with the late Madhubala and Madhuri Dixit. To double up her happiness, I call her the sexy girl in a saree. But then I re-think and question myself - Is she the girl in a sexy saree? I pause, ponder and come to a conclusion: Sonakshi Sinha is simply sexy. If Salman is the body of the film then Sonakshi is the film's heart. Sinha is enchantingly modest and sweet if you meet her. I remember the last time I met her was about a year back just before she started shooting for Dabangg. She was nice then and today, her same niceness is garnering attention from the entire film fraternity. They say you can tell a lot about a celebrity by the behaviour of their entourage, that co-dependent retinue of hair, make-up and personal assistance. Sinha has a hefty support team - her P.R. team and her manager and her hair and make-up team but when you meet her, you know that she has an elfin charm and a heart of gold to become a true sweetheart. The world never seems to tire of beefy guys in sweaty vests pulping their victims with no concern. But for once, please step aside guys and step forward the girl who I aptly describe as 'India's newest sweetheart'. And I can tell you that one meeting isn't nearly enough time to spend in the company of the magnificent Sonakshi Sinha.

Sexy in a saree

People are finding me sexy in a saree but I'm just trying to do my part and look the character and not intentionally try and look sexy (laughs).

Maturity

I have become a little bit mature than you met me last year because as you go out and work, you start to get more professional and more responsible. I've interacted with a lot of new people and am meeting them in social gatherings. I'm young at heart and that too makes me mature in the way I think and perceive things.

Blessing in disguise

To work with Salman isn't a blessing in disguise; it's a blessing openly in front of everyone. It's a fabulous start to my career and the magnitude that Dabangg has reached right now is become more tremendous. Dabangg is a blessing.

Power of Salman Khan

I recently posted a YouTube video of Salman's youngest fan who dressed up in a police attire and voiced the most hilarious dialogue of Salman from the film, 'Tumhare under hum itne chhed karenge kit tum confuse ho jaaoge ki saans kaha se le aur paade kahan se'. Kids to old people love Salman Khan.

The other side of Salman Khan

I think whatever is there is there. Salman has nothing to hide. With him, what you see is what you get. I guess there is no other side to him because he is to everyone like he is to himself.

Debutant versus a debutant

I've been lucky in that way because Abhinav is a very sharp man. He is my director and he knows what he wants. We both debut with Dabangg. He has a great vision. He is a good director and the way he puts his scenes across, he does it brilliantly. I requested him to let me know what he wanted me to do and I would do it. The way he explained everything, the way he brought out my performance, hats off to him. He is a jolly fellow.

Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherjee

Vidya and Rani are great actresses and I've watched their films over the years. I've learnt something from each ones career lines and have gone ahead and tried to implement it in my performance. Vidya Balan's Ishqiya was a right kind of film to learn from to prepare for my role in Dabangg. Rani's films taught me how to dance and how to be free with ones acting.

Shatrughan Sinha's advise

Every chat I have with him is very detailed. He has always told me, "If you can't be better than everyone else than at least try and be different." Keeping that in mind is how I work. Having him at home is like having a school at home. I learn from him every day. But he never interfered in Dabangg. He has not once picked up the phone and called Arbaaz and told him to show my footage in the film. He had complete trust and faith in the crew and cast of Dabangg and that's what I like about him. If he knows that I am not doing anything right, he'll show me the right way to do it. I am his daughter and he wants me to do well.

Incoming calls

After the first promo and now even more, I've been getting calls from the fraternity. A lot of people have called me. People who appreciate me, people who want to work with me, people who I met, etc. I'm honoured.

Second film

To sign my second film is going to be a difficult task because it has to be up to that or be better than Dabangg. I'm being picky and choosy and I am not here to climb the ladder on my parent's name. I have the liberty to do less films and good work and do the work I want to do. There is a long way to go. I have just started and I will definitely choose my second film very carefully.

Malaika 'Munni' Arora Khan

'Munni' is a fabulous song and it's picking up on the charts right now. Malaika has done such a good job. People keep asking me why wasn't I featured in the song and I just tell them, "Nobody but Malaika could've done that." The way the music is picking up is also a plus point for Dabangg.

Luv Sinha versus Sonakshi Sinha

We never compare each other's films. Yes, he didn't have a good start but we do sit with each other and discuss out and have these conversations. It is more difficult for a man to crack it in our industry than a woman. For the leading man, the whole film is on his shoulder but we can always escape from that burden. We get lucky sometimes. Dabangg is completely on Salman's shoulder. Luv has moved on. He is a strong guy, he is focused, he works really hard and we make sure he chooses the right projects for himself.

Sonakshi surrendered

I've not had any formal training in acting and there wasn't much I could do when I met Abhinav. The character he had written out for me had shaped up so well that I didn't find any need to give any suggestions from my side to Abhinav. I just surrendered to what Salman and Arbaaz wanted me to do in Dabangg. Most of the inputs have been from their side.

Overseas fans

I am getting a tremendous feedback on Twitter from the rest of the world. It's so good to see my first overseas reactions in my film career before the release. I think the networking sites have a big role to play and I get to learn what people think of me and what they liked and disliked about my performance. There is a positive and a negative feedback but that's how life is.

Comparisons to Madhubala and Madhuri Dixit

It's strange for me to hear that people are comparing me and my dialogue delivery to that of my father's. I've heard people say - 'Suddenly the void after Madhubala and Madhuri Dixit has been filled by Sonakshi Sinha'. These things give me that much more motivation and confidence. They've even compared me to Hema Malini. If things go like this, I'll have to keep a special screening for Hema Malini and Madhuri Dixit, Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherjee.

Best phase of my life

Dabangg is and will be the best phase of my professional life. It's been a good journey so far. There is a lot of appreciation coming my way and I have got my friends and family who keep me grounded and make sure I don't fly too high (laughs).