Sonakshi Sinha: Success or failure, nothing is permanent in Bollywood

Sonakshi Sinha’s last two films may have bombed at the box office but the Bollywood star is unfazed by any of it. And she thanks dad Shatrughan Sinha for this important life lesson.

Ever since she made her Bollywood debut with Dabangg (2010), Sonakshi Sinha has delivered a string of blockbusters. She went on to star in several hit films, including Rowdy Rathore (2012), Son Of Sardar (2012) and R... Rajkumar (2013). However, her last two releases — Action Jackson (2014) and Tevar (2015) — didn’t set the cash registers ringing at the box office.

Sonakshi Sinha’s last two hits failed to work at BO. The actor reveals how she manages to stay unfazed through it all.(Jitu Savlani/HT photo)

One would assume that after seeing so much success, it would have been difficult for the actor to deal with failure, but Sonakshi claims otherwise. “I don’t get comfortable with anything. I’m very aware of the fact that today if you have something, you might not have it tomorrow. Nothing is permanent in this industry, and I’ve seen it happen with my dad (veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha). Maybe that is why I’m accustomed to thinking in a certain way,” says the actor.

Having said that, Sonakshi feels actors should not blame themselves for the failure of their films. “Through my own experiences, I have realised that by the time a film releases, and does not do well, you’ve already moved on to your next. You’ve left it behind. You do feel bad momentarily, because you’ve worked on it for so long, but it’s fine. You just do your best every single time,” she says.

Even on the professional front, Sonakshi has changed her approach over the years. Initially, she was doing multiple films in one year, but not anymore. Ask her if she believes that in Bollywood, out of sight is out of mind, and she says, “Definitely! But today, what is out of sight? Nothing. Because of social media, you’re never out of sight. Honestly, I would just love to disappear for a while and come back only when I have work.”

Actors often speak about losing their privacy, but Sonakshi says that she has always been a “low-key person”. “I have my one set of friends, who have nothing to do with the industry. That does help you put things in perspective, and detach yourself, because when I’m with them, they’re not talking about my work. They’ve grown up with me and seen me through it all. It’s really good to have that kind of a support system,” she adds.