Sonakshi Sinha reveals how dad Shatrughan Sinha gave her 'reverse nepotism' treatment early in career | Exclusive

Sonakshi Sinha, who will be next seen in Prime Video's System, talks about how Shatrughan Sinha ensured she finds her own way in Bollywood

In a career spanning over 15 years, actor Sonakshi Sinha has worked in a variety of films and shows, from action potboilers to police procedurals to the odd rom-com. Now, she is entering the legal drama space with her next film, System. Ahead of the release, Sonakshi sits down with Hindustan Times to chat about the film and how she found her character very relatable, right down to the meta ‘reverse nepotism’ joke.

Shatrughan Sinha with daughter Sonakshi Sinha.

Sonakshi Sinha on System

System, directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, stars Sonakshi as a young public prosecutor who teams up with a court stenographer (Jyotika) to fight a murder case against a powerful businessman. “The film addressed so many issues that we may not even think of. These are derived from real people, real incidents, and things happening around us. At a lot of points, the film makes you question things. Any film that gets you started thinking about stuff is a good film,” says Sonakshi.

Her character, Neha Rajvansh, is relatable, says Sonakshi, not because of her profession but because of who she is. “The relatability doesn’t come from the profession she is in, but from the woman she is. She is very flawed, layered, and someone who makes her own mistakes and has her own demons. All these things are very relatable to me, and surely to a lot of other women as well, those who are trying to prove themselves and don’t get things handed to them,” the actor explains

Sonakshi Sinha on relating to ‘reverse nepotism’

In System, Neha comes from a family of lawyers. Her father (played by Ashutosh Gowariker) is one of the country's top defence lawyers, but wants his daughter to prove herself by working as a prosecutor before she can join the family business. It even leads Neha to ask her dad, “What kind of reverse nepotism is this?” Sonakshi says this mirrors her life story to an extent, as her father, veteran star Shatrughan Sinha, held similar views when she began her acting journey. “Honestly, that’s been the case with me. My father has always told me, ‘You have to prove yourself’. Because he was like that. It doesn’t matter who you are; you have to prove yourself to get ahead in life, and that’s how you get what you deserve. So that was also something that was very relatable,” Sonakshi recalls.

Sonakshi began her acting career opposite Salman Khan with Dabangg in 2010, and found further success with Rowdy Rathore, Son of Sardaar, and Holiday. In recent years, she has found critical acclaim with streaming shows like Dahaad and Heeramandi. Her next film, System, will release on Amazon Prime Video on May 22.