Sonakshi Sinha in Action Jackson

Sonakshi Sinha and her entourage are looking out of the floor-to-ceiling windows in her suite at Juhu’s Sun--Sand hotel when t2 walks in to meet the Action Jackson (releasing this Friday) actress. It’s almost time for the sun to set and there is pin-drop silence in the room while everyone waits. Dressed in an oxblood top and dark jeans, Sonakshi is almost unrecognisable thanks to her newly cropped hair. Once the sun sets, Sonakshi grabs a cup of chai before sitting down to talk about her new look and her New Year resolution.

Love the haircut! What prompted it?

I just felt like it (laughs). I woke up one morning and thought: ‘I am done shooting all my films. So, for once, I don’t have to think about continuity’. I had been wanting to cut my hair for a long time. But I couldn’t… I didn’t even give myself a chance to change my mind. I just woke up and went to my hairdresser’s. My hair is so much more manageable now. I can walk out of the house without spending hours on blow-dries.

You also got a tattoo for your birthday in June...

Yes, and again, this is something that I had wanted for years, but my mom (Poonam) never let me do it. This year, I told her I want it as a birthday gift and as expected, she refused again. I told her: ‘If I just go and get one you won’t be able to do anything!’ (Laughs) So, she gave me the permission. She was happy that I was at least informing her in advance.

And it’s a star...

Yes. I wanted something tiny. Getting a major tattoo would be a pain to cover up while filming. Also, I am obsessed with stars. I have dresses and shoes and accessories with stars. And I wanted it to be in a place where I could see it.

For most women, a fairly extreme makeover is a signal of wanting to change their lives. Does that apply to you?

Hmmm… I have heard this. I don’t know. (Pauses) I didn’t think so much before cutting my hair or getting the tattoo (laughs). I just needed something different in my life. Both the haircut and tattoo were things I had wanted for years. Finally, at age 27, I have managed to do what I wanted!

Talking about work, you have three films releasing in the next two months...

Yes... and the madness has started! (Laughs) After Action Jackson is Lingaa (December 12, co-starring Rajinikanth) and then Tevar (January 9, co-starring Arjun Kapoor). I enjoy the travelling and interacting with fans.

You’ve done 12 films in four years. That’s a lot in a very short time. What’s the hurry?

Yes, I agree. It wasn’t a conscious decision to work so much… so there was no hurry. I just didn’t realise that I was working so much. I have always enjoyed my work, so it never felt like work. But I am going to slow down. My New Year’s resolution is to do one film at a time, and not three! Like there was a time when I was shooting Lootera, Rowdy Rathore and Son of Sardaar together. I don’t want to do that again. I don’t need to work at that pace anymore. Actually I didn’t need to earlier as well… ya, I think I should just slow down now (laughs).

You know the adage ‘All work and no play....’. Did so much work make you a dull girl?

(Laughs) Never! Do I look like a dull girl? I have always made time for doing the things I like doing. I love travelling and I manage to do a lot of that, thanks to work. I have always been a very balanced person. So, I never get so fixated on one thing that I ignore everything else.

Coming to Action Jackson, you are working again with Prabhudeva and Ajay Devgn. Does having a comfort level with your co-actor or director make a difference to your performance?

It doesn’t. Once you establish a good working rapport with someone, it stays. I don’t need to be best friends with anyone to be able to do my job well. Yes, you get more comfortable with every passing film which is what has happened with Prabhu sir or Ajay. Most people I have worked with until now have worked with me on more than one occasion. That just reiterates the fact that I am an easy person to work with. I prefer to keep things professional. I don’t like being late or wasting time when we are shooting. And my directors and producers appreciate these things about me.

This film gave you the chance to explore comedy as a genre which you haven’t done a lot of…

Yes. When they came to me with the film they said they wanted someone with great comic timing. Prabhu sir thought that I would be able to pull it off. The character I play is a complete klutz. She has really bad luck. It is an all-out comic character. I have done a little comedy here and there, but not such a mad character.

Kudos for hitting back at Kamaal R. Khan for an offensive tweet [KRK’s tweet: “Pls RT (retweet) this if you think tat @SonakshiSinha has biggest butt in Bollywood]

Thank you. I woke up that morning and the first thing I saw on my phone was that tweet from him. And I wanted to slap him! (Laughs) So that’s what I tweeted [Please RT this if u think @kamaalrkhan is a woman disrespecting waste of space and deserves to be hung upside down and given 4 tight slaps]. It’s not like he hasn’t said things in the past. I had ignored him all this while, because a person like him doesn’t deserve anyone’s attention or reaction. But this time he took things too far. Anyone would have stood up against him.

Around the same time, you also took to Twitter slamming people who talk about your weight. You have dealt with scrutiny about your physicality before. Why did you feel the need to address it again?

How long can people keep talking about something that is clearly not going to change? Or which doesn’t affect me or my career? It is not like I am battling obesity. I have been there, but I have lost a lot of weight and I am in a happy space now. Can’t people just let me be? Everyone doesn’t have to look exactly the same! It’s not like I am unfit in anyway. I am able to do my work well... I don’t faint on my sets. It’s not like the directors, producers or my co-stars have a problem with my weight. If my weight was such an issue, people won’t watch my films, right?

Did you feel any kind of pressure in these four years to look a certain way?

No. If I did, I would have changed drastically. Yes I have changed a little here and there, but not drastically. I am not someone who is blessed with a really good metabolism, so I have to work really hard to keep myself fit. But really, I don’t think about my body too much because it hasn’t affected my life negatively in any way. When I had the excess weight, I lost it because I became an actor. But now that’s done… you can’t keep poking a person for the same thing over and over again. So, that was my way of saying ‘Shut up!’ (Laughs)

Karishma Upadhyay