Sonakshi: Dabangg 3 will be the perfect launch for Saiee Manjrekar

Picture Courtesy: Official YouTube Page/Midday India

Sonakshi Sinha is all set to return as Rajjo in Dabangg 3, a franchise owned by Salman Khan and his charismatic and crooked Chulbul Pandey. In an exclusive interview with mid-day, the actress talks about her experience of romancing Khan again, what would he do on sets, and why they had to be on their toes all the time when he was around.

The first question thrown at the actress seems quite apt. All the celluloid romances are shattered right after the first films, Pandey and Rajjo's romance has lasted for nine years and three films. Bursting into laughter, Sinha begins answering the question, "Even I am thinking that we have lasted quite a long time. That's one of the longest-standing relationships in the industry. It's a beautiful romance with a married couple."

She continues, "You get to see such romance very less in movies now. We usually see the pre-marriage romance but never after the marriage, so I think it's very sweet chemistry and sweet romance that we are trying to show in the film." The audience has seen their romance twice over now, is there any newness or freshness in their romance the third time around? "That's the only thought in our mind, especially when we are making a franchise, with every part you have to give the audience something new." Check out her engaging and interesting answers right here:

Given Dabangg 3 is the third time Sinha collaborates with Khan, does she know what works between him and her on the celluloid? "I think there's a certain comfort level and the way the characters are written, as I said, it's a sweet romance between a married couple, and I think that's what works." And has any of Khan's suggestions brought out anything new in Sinha? She says, "I think just watching him is a learning in itself, the way he handles his stardom, he doesn't take it to his head at all, he doesn't take it seriously."

She continues, "He still works with the same energy, the same enthusiasm, the way he would have worked 25 years back. So it's amazing, if he can do it, we better do it. So that in itself is very motivational. Khan can be very intimidating to work with, so did Sinha keep any specific thing in mind while working with him or acting with him in front of the camera? "Working together, you feed off each other's energy, he's always somebody who's always spontaneous, and so am I."

"When he comes on the sets, he'll change a couple of lines, you have to be constantly thinking on your toes, you have to match that, it's a very good exercise for me to constantly be thinking an trying to match up to what he's doing," she adds. Dabangg 3 seems to be a film high on octane and intensity, were there any fun moments behind the scenes? "I think it's a mix of both fun and seriousness, especially when you're on a set like this where there are some people you are working with for the first time, there are some people you have worked with so many times."

She continues, "It's not like we are only making jokes or playing pranks and doing fun all the time. We have some very interesting conversations as well." Did Sonakshi know Saiee Manjrekar had a great time shooting with her and looked forward to working with her? Sinha smiles and says, "She's also very, very sweet, I wish her all the best and she's very talented and that's why she's a part of this film and fits the role perfectly. How Dabangg was the perfect launch for me, Dabangg 3 will be for her as well. So I'm really happy the industry is going to get new talent."

A fun question pops up about how the media was waiting to see a cat-fight between Saiee and Sonakshi and how they couldn't get along with each other. "Yeah, you all thought we were always out with our claws ready to bite each other, but it's not like that, we all are very nice, but I'll tell you that this happens with actors more than it happens with actresses. They are more competitive."

Dabangg 3 happens to be another collaboration of Prabhudeva and Sonakshi, what is the difference he has brought in? "Prabhu sir has a very distinct brand of filmmaking, his kind of films is very true to him and what he stands for, which is high on entertainment, drama, action, colour, vibrancy, which is why he's the perfect fit for Dabangg, which is that kind of a film, and I think he has done something amazing to it, he has brought a lot of newness to it."

The character of Rajjo became memorable right from the first Dabangg, but the franchise still belongs to Chulbul Pandey. What does the actress think about it? "I'm very proud to be a part of a franchise like this and I couldn't have asked for a better launch. When it's a Salman Khan film, it's a Salman Khan film, he has worked that hard and for so long in the industry to garner that kind of an audience for himself, so of course, it's entirely his film. But you have to do everything to the best of your ability when you're standing in the same frame as Salman Khan. So I'm very happy I was able to create a space for myself in my very first film."

We end the question with personal curiosity, given Sinha is a fine dancer, does she aspire to have a song like Munni Badnaam Hui? "No, I'm very happy being the heroine of the film but because I like to dance, I do it outside movies but in Dabangg, I'm very happy being the heroine."

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