It’s been over a year since Sonakshi Sinha had a film in the theatres — her last release was Tevar in January 2015. And she is now ready to move to the next stage in her career. “I am rejecting more scripts than I am saying ‘yes’ to. I am not going to do 25-day roles. I have to make a difference in the plot of the film. I have read some interesting stuff that I will take up. I just want to do stuff that I haven’t done before,” Shatrughan Sinha’s daughter tells t2. 
Akira, her release this Friday, fits perfectly in the framework of the kind of work Sonakshi wants to be associated with. The action film, directed by Ghajini man A.R. Murugadoss, also starring filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and Konkona Sensharma, has the 29-year-old actress front and centre.

We met last weekend in her make-up van at Mumbai’s Mehboob Studio to talk about kicks and punches, and those pesky marriage rumours.

Long time no see!

(Laughs) Yes, it has been a while.

Was the sabbatical intentional?

No. I was shooting for all the films that are releasing now. So, there is Akira and then Force 2 (with John Abraham and Tahir Raj Bhasin) after that. Then there was Noor (with Purab Kohli) that I started shooting. And there was my TV show (Sonakshi was a judge on Indian Idol Junior). So there was a lot happening. I wasn’t completely away from work.

But there were many months after Tevar when you didn’t work, right?

Hmmm…that was because the start date of Akira was pushed. I needed more time to train. To do a film that required this level of action meant that I needed to train intensely. I took three months off when I only trained.

Was signing on to be Akira a no-brainer?

Absolutely! She is a very strong and interesting character. Murugadoss Sir, who has worked with some of the biggest action stars in the country, has never worked on a woman-centric film before and he came to me with the script. He trusted that I could pull off this character.

Akira is the remake of the Tamil film Mouna Guru that had a male protagonist. That they flipped the lead character’s gender to sign you must feel very good!

Yeah! It’s never happened in the industry… like ever. That was one of the things that got me interested in the film. When you put a girl in place of a guy, the dynamics automatically change. You would expect a guy to be all macho and heroic, but when you put a girl in his place, you start wondering how she will react in the same situation. When you see a hero beat up 20 people on screen, it’s considered to be natural but if a girl does it you have to explain why… I think, Murugadoss Sir wanted to change that.

There are some really good roles being written for girls now. I would like to believe that this role is the first of its kind. Even in my wildest dreams I couldn’t imagine some of the situations Akira goes through. Like she went to jail as a kid. I had to really dig deep for those emotions. It was quite a challenge.

I guess it’s safe to say that training for this film was the most intense prep of your career?

(Laughs) Without a doubt. I trained in mixed martial arts with Kuldeep Shashi who also trains Tiger (Shroff). He is into parkour, gymnastics and mixed martial arts. I worked on my flexibility to get the kicks high and did strength training. I learnt how to kick and punch. He was a great trainer. He knew how much to push me. I used to play a lot of sports in school so in terms of agility, my body has been through that. I enjoy doing physical stuff, so I guess I picked it up faster than most. Even though the training killed me every day! Every morning I would wake up with aches and pains in parts of my body I didn’t know existed.

Did you have fun beating up grown men double your size?

I can’t even begin to tell you how much fun it was. It was almost like I had waited all my life to beat up people! (Laughs)

Would you want to do more action films?

Absolutely! It’s liberating. We’ve seen the guys doing this for so long. It’s about time the girls stepped up to the plate as well. Also, I really enjoy the genre which is why I have done so many of them in the past. My filmography is full of action-romance, action-comedy, action-action… I love action films. I was waiting for a film like Akira to come my way where I get to do all the fighting.

You have worked with some of the best action stars of our times. Was there anything you picked up by watching them?

Just being on set and observing them helped me a lot. Watching them do what they do best is a learning experience. They take the right precautions. They are very chilled while doing their stunt scenes. There is a certain sense of calm while they are doing action. All this really helped me get the body language and the kicks and punches right.

Have there been reactions from Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn or Akshay Kumar?

Ya! There have been really positive reactions. Akshay was really encouraging even when the film came my way. He told me to sign this film without thinking too much because he thought I could be perfect for the role. Ajay also appreciated the trailer. He said, ‘If you start kicking ass like this, what will happen to us heroes?!’ Imagine if someone like him says like this... it’s a huge compliment.

Okay, what is going on with Dabangg 3?

People are just bored, so they are playing ping-pong among themselves. One day, I am a part of it and then next I am not.... I really have no clue. From what I know, the script is still being written.

There’s been some chatter about a romance, an engagement and even marriage….

I am NOT getting married! (Laughs)

SHE POWER

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