Actress
Sonakshi
Sinha,
who
feels
southern
movies
are
"content-rich",
says
her
forthcoming
Tamil
cinematic
debut
Lingaa
won't
be
a
one-off
film
in
her
career
as
she's
keen
to
find
more
work
in
the
industry.
"I
would
love
to
do
more
projects
(down
south)
provided
I
get
good
scripts," Sonakshi
told
in
an
interview.
"The
southern
film
industries
are
rich
in
content,
which
is
why
so
many
of
their
films
get
remade
here
(in
Bollywood).
I
definitely
don't
want
(my
southern
film
career)
to
end
with
'Lingaa',"
she
said.
Sonakshi
may
be
a
newcomer
to
the
southern
filmdom,
but
she
has
already
developed
a
sort
of
relationship
with
the
industry
by
starring
in
four
Hindi
remakes
of
south
hits-
Rowdy
Rathore,
Son
of
Sardaar,
Holiday:
A
Soldier
Is
Never
Off
Duty
and
upcoming
Tevar.
Also,
four
of
her
films
so
far
have
been
with
southern
filmmakers
A.R.
Murugadoss
and
Prabhudeva.
Therefore,
working
in
Lingaa
wasn't
any
different
for
her,
except
the
language.
"After
working
in
so
many
southern
remakes,
I
think
I've
developed
a
sense
of
familiarity
with
the
way
things
function
there.
The
only
new
challenge
was
to
speak
a
language
I
don't
speak
or
understand
and
look
convincing
doing
it,"
she
added.
Lingaa,
which
releases
in
cinemas
Friday,
wasn't
the
first
Tamil
project
Sonakshi
was
offered.
In
fact,
she
was
offered
films
in
Telugu
and
Kannada
in
the
past.
"I
wasn't
able
to
take
up
those
offers
because
of
my
commitments
in
Bollywood.
Just
like
how
Dabangg
was
an
offer
I
couldn't
refuse,
even
though
I
never
wanted
to
be
an
actress,
so
was
Lingaa,"
she
said.
She
admits
Rajinikanth
was
a
"driving
force"
in
her
decision
to
act
in
Lingaa.
"It
was
an
honour
to
share
screen
space
with
a
living
legend
like
him,"
she
said.
Sonakshi
wasn't
floored
by
the
superstar
status
of
62-year
old
Rajinikanth.
"I
was
stunned
by
his
simplicity
and
humble
nature.
He
is
a
wonderful
human
being
and
truly
a
rare
gem
of
a
person,"
she
said.
But
did
it
ever
concern
her
that
she
was
paired
with
a
hero
who's
in
his
sixties?
"It
did
cross
my
mind,
but
the
role
was
such
that
it
would
not
put
either
of
us
in
an
awkward
situation,"
she
said,
and
added
that
since
Rajinikanth
and
her
father
Shatrughan
Sinha
have
been
friends
for
many
years,
steps
were
taken
to
ensure
nothing
ever
made
her
uncomfortable.
In
Lingaa,
which
is
directed
by
K.S.
Ravi
Kumar,
Sonakshi
plays
a
character
in
the
1940s.
She
clarifies
that
the
role
won't
be
similar
to
the
one
she
essayed
in
Hindi
period
romance
Lootera.
"I
played
a
Bengali
in
Lootera,
which
was
an
intense
love
story.
In
this
film,
I
play
a
south
Indian
in
a
patriotic
zone,"
she
said.
The
most
fascinating
part
of
her
role,
Sonakshi
said
"was
speaking
a
new
language,
donning
a
new
look,
and
being
part
of
a
completely
new
era".
Despite
being
alien
to
Tamil,
Sonakshi
was
lauded
for
her
perfect
lip
sync
in
the
film's
trailer.
How
did
she
do
it?
"My
director,
his
associates
and
our
writer
actually
made
it
very
easy
for
me
to
pick
it
up.
I
was
allowed
to
read
it
off
placards
or
be
prompted
while
speaking.
Also,
having
worked
with
Tamil
units
before
helped
a
great
deal,"
she
said.
Besides
working
with
the
superstar,
another
reason
that
really
got
Sonakshi
excited
about
working
in
Lingaa
was
her
association
with
double
Oscar-winning
composer
A.R.
Rahman.
"It
feels
amazing.
I
have
been
hoping
that
I
get
to
work
with
him
from
the
very
beginning
of
my
career
and
I'm
glad
I
got
the
chance
to
do
it
in
my
first
Tamil
film,"
she
added.
Sonakshi
will
next
team
up
with
A.R.
Murugadoss
in
a
"woman-centric"
Hindi
film,
while
her
Telugu
project
with
Mahesh
Babu
has
been
shelved.