Oh Sonakshi! More Candid Than Ever

Jacket, Pankaj and Nidhi.

Skirt and gloves, both Marc Cain.

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Styling Isha Bhansali Makeup Nilesh Parmar Hair Shaan Muttathil Production Madmoth Photographs by suresh natarajan

comfortable.” So do designers have a tough time pleasing her? “Not at all”, she shoots back. “The designers I depend on understand my body structure and size well, and make me look stunning. I believe in trusting my team blindly and it always falls in place. After all, they are the experts.”

And then, as if to test what she just said, we show her the shortlisted outfits and ask her to pick, as she continues to get her makeup done. She glances at them and says, “All are stunning. Why don’t you pick what you like and I will go with that.” That’s pretty much her style of working, we figure. She agreed. “I am not going to tell Shaan (her hair stylist) or Nilu (Nilesh Parmar, her trusted makeup person) what they need to do ever. It’s their job and I go with their vision, and I trust yours on this. My job is to go out there and pose and I do that bloody well.” And then she giggles her unshackled signature giggle.

So what’s her personal style like, away from the flashbulbs, I wonder aloud. “It has to be casual and clean,” she insists. “For movies and events I am always doing so much, so when I get an opportunity not to, I grab it. I love the jeans-singlet look, like how I am dressed right now. Essentially, I prefer dressing down to dressing up. Even when I am dressing up, I strongly believe that less is more. I ensure my jewellery is minimal. Anyway, I am not a jewellery person. As for clothes, I prefer pieces that make me look clutter-free.” I tell her that with a face as pretty as hers and with eyes that speak volumes, clutterfree is probably the best style philosophy. She giggles.

If one wants to put a face to free-spirited, effortless glamour, Sonakshi Sinha fits right in. On a breezy afternoon that is switching between being sunny and moodily pleasant, she saunters in at the exact call time, looking every bit the diva, albeit with a broad smile. She channels nonchalant style quite fiercely in a superbly well-fitted pair of white jeans, a white singlet, with a light blue denim shirt thrown in imperturbably. Her hair is casually tied up in a bun. Absolutely no trace of makeup or jewellery. And yet, everyone on the set is spell bound. She is beautiful. Composed. And has an incredibly mesmerising pair of eyes. ‘Credit it to my genes,’ she says when complimented. She goes on to elaborate, “My mother was stunning in her time. She is still very elegant. Do you know she won 32 beauty pageants? She was crowned Miss India and was very gorgeous. I just got lucky. You can see a very proud and doting daughter in her, aching to jump out and talk more about her mother. That’s Sonakshi for you. Loving, reassured about where she is, and extremely easy to be with.

Each time you look at her, the picture of a fashion junkie conjures up in your mind. After all, not too many Bollywood actresses can claim to rock a serious designer gown and a sari with equal charm on the red carpet. Tell her that and she says with a smile, “I am not a slave to fashion. I like mixing and matching and creating a look that I feel comfortable in. Comfort converts into confidence. I like being simple. I feel that a powerful look almost always needs to be minimal, and It’s getting too sweety sweet. And I am itching to break the rut. So I decide to get into tricky territory by asking her difficult questions. She again surprises me by giving simple answers. Not necessarily diplomatic. But simple.

Not really. There are so many options, styles, cuts and colours that you can choose from, which make you look good, so size is a limitation only in your mind. A lot of brands and designers are now creating high fashion for my size and my kind of body structure, so it is not limiting. For instance, Shantanu and Nikhil, DevRNil, Narendra Kumar Ahmed, and Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla put together really nice looks for me. Manish Malhotra, who is styling clothes for most of my films, creates some stand-out looks as well. The trick lies in wearing what flatters your shape, rather than trying to fit into a trend...

Three years. Nine films. Mostly all biggest grossers of the year. So you tell me if that has worked for me or against me? And I received a lot of appreciation for holding on my own, no matter who I was paired with, be it Salman or the current favourite Ranveer. Talking of Ranveer, you made considerable advances on him in Lootera, breaking your on-screen image of a demure woman. You even did an intimate scene with him. Will we see you breaking more boundaries on screen in future? Like in a bikini? Or a steamy kissing scene?

As you move ahead in life, you tend to do different things that will naturally break some old moulds that people may have set you in. I did an intimate scene with Ranveer because the script required it, not because I was looking to ditch my coy on-screen image. And I stuck to doing only what I was comfortable with. When Vikramaditya (Motwane) came to me with the script, it had a full-fledged kissing scene. I told him I won’t be able to do it. He really wanted me to be a part of the film, so he accommodated my demand and replaced the kissing scene with an aesthetically shot intimate scene. As for a bikini, I won’t be at ease being seen in one, so I won’t do it. I have to face my parents. I like being edgy and experimental sometimes, but I won’t cross the line of comfort.

Oh yes, they have. And after seeing the film my dad gave me the biggest compliment ever. He said that he has to learn acting from me. Of course he is lying (giggles). But it feels nice to hear that from him. And did they mind the intimate scene?

Not at all! All that it involved was touching of cheeks. I do more than that in my songs with my heroes.Vikramaditya managed to shoot that scene so aesthetically, that even I was surprised. It conveys the message and yet it shows almost nothing. I was very comfortable shooting it and having my parents see it as well.

Do you think being a Sinha daughter has helped you in your Bollywood innings? Or like many other Bollywood kids, are you also going to crib about the family name putting pressure on you instead?

I did get a lot of opportunities served on a platter because of my family name. Why should I deny it? But having said that, the family name only helps you get your foot into the industry, which in itself is a big deal. After that, if you don’t prove yourself, you are written off. My audiences loved me from my debut in Dabangg. They saw a spark in me, and that pushed me to give more. I don’t know the last time so much pressure was put on any actress.

Whose style in the industry do you really appreciate?

Deepika Padukone, because she is very effortless and is always very well turned out. She has such a good body that whatever you put on her, she looks spectacular. And if you speak of male actors, it has to be Akshay Kumar: anything and everything suits him. Put him in rags and he will look good. I guess some people are just lucky.

Gown, Jatin Varma.

A Louis Vuitton purse for my mom from my first pay as an actor.

My car. It’s a BMW GT. Looks super sleek and drives real smooth.

I would just love to always wear my solitaire earrings.

Denim on denim. Love it.

Probably a great pair of shoes.

A Ferragamo bag for my mother and a Louis Vuitton wallet for my father.

Gown, Falguni and Shane Peacock.