Called both the 100-crore princess and the lucky charm of any actor, Sonakshi Sinha has carved a niche for herself in the film industry. She is not daunted by her girl-next-door image and feels that it works in her favour. The actress was recently in the City with her co-star Ranveer Singh to promote their upcoming movie Lootera.

Sonakshi hopes to break away from her otherwise commercial image with this movie, in which she plays an intense and serious role. However, she has no problems with being called a ‘girl-next-door’. “The girl-next-door tag is a lovely one and I hope that I will be able to maintain that. I don’t mind being slotted under that category and I feel humbled to be a part of films that have done so well. Nobody has forced me to do anything and the desi-girl image has clearly worked,” she says.

She adds that working in a romantic thriller has certainly been challenging. “Lootera is particularly special to me because it is the first time I am working with director Vikramaditya Motwane. As an avid film buff, I’d be excited to watch a film by a director of this calibre. People say I only do mainstream blockbusters. However, this role has allowed me to break away from that image and has given me scope to display my range and strength as a performer,” adds Sonakshi.

Her camaraderie with Ranveer Singh has been the talk of the town. She explains that they helped each other better their performances and it has been a learning experience for her. “While Ranveer puts a lot of effort into every scene that he enacts, I like to be spontaneous and natural,” she says.

All praises for the City, she says that her connection with Bangalore dates back to when she was a student. “As children, we used to visit Bangalore pretty often. I had many friends here. I used to be here every holiday, visiting my friends and family.

This time around, I have come here to share this beautiful labour of love and it feels great. The crowd here loves watching films and I hope that we get a great response. The team has worked very hard. My make-up has been minimal and the director has kept aesthetics in mind while making the film,” she notes.

The actress is known to have a penchant for art. Sonakshi shares that in one of the scenes in the film, she was required to paint and she started sketching a tree. Later, the painters were called in to complete the sketch. “I like to get involved in the character of a film,” she quips. Ask her if Salman Khan, whom she debuted with, has given her a few painting lessons and she replies, “Salman doesn’t have the time to teach me how to paint.” Unlike other actors, who don’t want to try out different industries, Sonakshi is all set to entertain the audience down south. “I have signed a Telugu film and I am looking forward to working in the southern part of the country,” she signs off.