Actor Sonu Sood owns about 350 to 400 shoes!

Actor Sonu Sood opens up to Dhara Vora about his obsession with footwear

How many pairs?
About 350 to 400.

The beginning
It started very early in life. At that time, I could not afford much, and wasn’t exposed to fashion. After getting into acting, whenever I travel, I shop. I buy two suitcases of shoes every time I travel, and each time, I promise myself, I won’t buy any more. There’s no space in the house! You will find them in suitcases, and in bed storage. I have bought another home, and there are shoes there too.

Sonu Sood owns 350 paris of shoes. Pics/Satej Shinde, Hair/Milan Thapa

Early buys
I did my engineering from Nagpur. There were very few shops there and hardly any awareness about brands. When I would travel to Delhi, I would shop from there as well. After I came to Mumbai, I would shop from Bandra and a few places in Colaba. But once you shop from Dubai or the US, you would not wish to buy from anywhere else.

sood’s top pick: Gucci Snakeskin & Leather High-Top Sneakers

Foot size
12. It’s difficult to get shoes in that size, leaving you short of choice.

First coveted pair
Years back, in Delhi I bought a pair of Dr.Martens. A shoe worth '10,000 was a big high. That’s why I end up spending a lot of my hard-earned money. I wish Mumbai’s weather was better, to maintain shoes. Due to moisture and monsoon, if you don’t use them often, they tend to get spoilt.

Sood loves Giuseppe Zanotti

Shoe paradise
Level Shoe District in Dubai. Whenever my friends travel, they send me photos of options. They know my size, so they message me and buy them. When I am in London, I buy them myself.

Preferred brands
I love Giuseppe Zanotti, Gucci, Fendi, G-Star, Christian Louboutin and Pierre Hardy. I recently discovered Magnanni. I love high-tops; I think they look good on me.

Strict no-nos
I am ready to experiment, there’s nothing I will say no to. I don’t tell my family that I have shopped; if I tell them about the kind of money I spend on shoes, they will go crazy.

Shoe buddy in the industry
I think Shahrukh (Khan). Whenever I buy something, he always notices and says, ‘He has started shopping, again!’ He and Deepika (Padukone) tease me that I shop like crazy. There was a time when Shahrukh, Abhishek (Bachchan), Deepika, Boman (Irani) and myself were shopping on the streets in Chicago, hunting for brands and discussing our shopping skills.

Spread the love
I gift shoes too. I know the sizes of my friends. People say it is unlucky, so, I always accept '10 or '50 in return.

Most expensive pair
Gucci and Zanottis are expensive, I have spent over a lakh on a few.

Burning money and calories
I have about 80 to 100 pairs of trainers! I have bought limited edition ones by Under Armour, Asics and Nike.

Runs in the family
My sons have about 80 pairs each, too. I wish they grow up, so we can share our collections.

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