Sonakshi: I was badly beaten up in my childhood

'I get little chance to go on holidays. Last year, I went to Barcelona for a week. I loved that place.'

Sonakshi Sinha talks about her busy work schedule.

So what does Sonakshi Sinha have in common with Anne Hathaway?

Rio 2, of course!

Sonakshi will lend her voice to Rio’s Jewel, voiced by Hathaway in the original.

This is the first time Sonakshi has been in an animated film.

"I am an animated person. I think that's the reason I got this role,” the actress says with a laugh, as she addresses the media at a promotional event of the film.

In this interview, Sonakshi discusses the film, her first salary, her travels and her 'chaotic childhood'. Patcy N listens in.

What was the most exciting thing about lending your voice to the character Jewel?

I loved animated films. The quality of animation has become so good that it is not only for children any more; even adults watch it.

The first Rio was successful, even in India. I really liked it, so when they called me to play Jewel in Rio 2, I said yes immediately.

Birds are very carefree; in your life when have you felt carefree?

When I go on holiday, I am very carefree. I try and forget daily stress of work.

Here you are very restricted, you don’t get your freedom, you can’t really be yourself, people are always judging you, looking at you, noticing what you are doing.

It is easier to be yourself when you are holidaying abroad.

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You are a very busy actress. When do you get time to go on holiday?

I get very little chance to go on holidays. Last year, I went to Barcelona for a week. I loved that place.

About three weeks back, I took three days off and went to Goa. I just relaxed and chilled.

I enjoy water sports but this time I didn’t do it because I really needed some time off.

I love going to beaches. I love the sea. I am more of a summer person so I like going to warm places

Which is your favourite destination?

The closest would be Dubai and Thailand.

I would love to take off for any of the European cities. I will be going off to America soon but that is for work.

Are you a shopaholic?

I am not a shopaholic, I am a smart shopper.

I buy things only if I need them. I don’t splurge. I spend wisely.

I mostly do online shopping when I am in India as I can’t go to malls.

I work very hard for my money. When I was a kid I got pocket money of Rs 100 a day, to go to college and spend on food.

How much was your first salary?

It was Rs 3,000 for a week’s work at the Lakme Fashion Week about six years ago.

I was an usher. I had to show people to their seats.

I gave the whole money that I earned to my mom and she framed a note from it.

Your brothers are making a film?

Yes, they are working on it, meeting directors and other people. As and when they require me as an actor I will be there.

What was your childhood like with your brothers?

I would be badly beaten; they were both older than me. They are twins so if one hit me and ran away, I would have a tough time figuring out who actually hit me.

If I had to complain I did not know what to tell my father. If he asked me, ‘Kisne maara?’ I would say, ‘Doosra wala bhiaya ne’.

My childhood was chaotic.

What qualities did you get from your mother?

People say I have her grace and charm. She is a very warm person so I have that.

She has taught me to be nice with everyone and she has kept us grounded.

She has passed on some wonderful qualities. I am punctual like she is and my paternal grandfather.

My dad gets offended when people say ‘aapki beti bahut sunder hain, bilkul maa par gayi hain’ (Your daughter is beautiful just like her mother).

He doesn’t know whether it’s a compliment or an insult. So he says, ‘Par talent toh meri tarah hain’ (but the talent is like mine). He has to be one up on everything.

What are the qualities you don’t have of her?

My mother says that I don’t have any qualities of a girl; she says ‘tu mera teesra beta hain’ (you are my second son).

I used to be a tomboy when I was in school. I played lots of sports, my uniform would be filthy when I came home.

In the morning as soon as I reached school, I would go onto the football field. So I would reach school dirty and my teachers would not let me sit in my class.

In Holiday, I play lots of sports. I am a boxer; there is an entire song that is picturised on me playing lots of sports: volleyball, football, rappelling, judo.

What qualities did you inherit from your father and what did you not inherit?

I have his confidence and he thinks my talent is from him so he is very happy.

Which of your father’s film is your favourite?

I love Khudgarz. I would watch it often when I was a kid.

I like Kalicharan, Vishwanath, Shaan and Khoon Bhari Mang too.

Coming back to Rio 2, was the dubbing process difficult?

It was fun, not difficult.

On the day of the dubbing, I saw the film first and then I started dubbing.

At first, I felt weird as you don’t see your own face on screen but a blue bird with a beak, but eventually you get used to it.

When you see the film, you will realise that the casting is perfect. Blue couldn’t be more Imran Khan and Jewel could not be more Sonakshi Sinha.

When you are watching the film, you will forget you are watching an animated bird. You will think it’s me.

I was given the freedom to modulate my voice the way I wanted. I guess they approached us because they wanted our personalities to come though in the characters. So we got total freedom.

You have sung a song in this film?

Yes, I have sung a couple of lines. There is a sequence where both Blue and Jewel are in the carnival and they are dancing and singing, it’s a fun situation.

At first, I asked them to get a voice over artist to do the song sequence. They told me that Imran has sung his part.

I was surprised because Imran is the kind of guy who never sings even if you force him to.

If a guy like that sings then I too have to sing, so I sang.

It was quite cute actually because the situation was very sweet.

As a child, which animated films or characters did you watch?

My favourites were Little Mermaid, Lion King, Dexter’s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, Powerpuff Girls, Ninja Turtles, Happy Feet, Shrek, and Rio.

Rajnikanth’s Kochadaiiyaan is going to release but such movies are not yet made in Bollywood…

We as film industry are one, and if now it is done in the South film industry it will be soon done here too.

Would you like to lend your voice for a proper English film and for which actress would you like to dub in Hindi?

Of course, I am open for dubbing for foreign actresses.

I would like to dub for Angelina Jolie in Hindi.