Mom's is prettier than me: Sonakshi

It's Mother's Day, a special day... and who better than the beautiful Sonakshi Sinha to talk about her mom, the elegant Poonam Sinha, who's she says is the "epitome of courage, strength and perseverance." Excerpts...

What does Mother's Day mean to you?
It's nice to have a day dedicated to mothers. But personally, I would celebrate with my mom any time by taking her out on a vacation or doing something together. She likes this day, so I'm happy celebrating it. It's beautiful.

Is there something special you have planned for her?
I'm going to be at home as I'm not shooting today. I plan to give my mom five saris, all designed by me. After 20 years of wearing salwars, she now loves wearing saris, and she looks beautiful in them.

You got her to switch to saris?
She started wearing more saris recently when she was campaigning for dad (Shatrughan Sinha).

How did you feel when she returned to acting after 25 years with Jodhaa Akbar?
I was very happy for her. It was a different feeling to see her going to shoot. I went to the sets too.

You'd like to act with her in a movie?
Of course! But I know that she is 70 times prettier than me!

How was she when you were younger... quite strict? Did you have a deadline to reach home?
I still have deadlines! But mom and I are very close. She is my friend, philosopher and guide. She played a very important role in keeping us grounded. We were never allowed to use dad's name to get our way. When dad was a minister, we had security. But mom ensured that we didn't feel uncomfortable while going to school. She made sure that we led a very normal life.

So, she's had a major influence on you?
Yes. My mother gave up her career to look after her family and it needs guts to make a sacrifice like that.

Minimal make-up for Sonakshi

Standing tall at five feet eight inches, young actress Sonakshi Sinha is a girl with a keen fashion sense.

In fact, not many people know that she's studied fashion designing in college; worked as a fashion assistant at the Mumbai Fashion Week; helped backstage with models during ramp shows and is now a designer in the making.

"Films and fashion are two extremely demanding professions. So, as of now, my priority is to make a mark in Bollywood. Fashion is on my mind but only with time, it will take wings,"confesses Sonakshi, as she casually sketches a girl in a flowy toga dress. The actress is also gifting five sarees, designed by herself to her mom today.

Au Indian
This Dabangg girl has won admiration for her Indian looks and features. And incidentally, her mother Punam Sinha was also an Indianwear model before she took up acting. Having walked the ramp in Mumbai with the likes of Mohini Mahajan, Purnima Dasgupta, Meher Castellino and the late Persis Khambatta, Punam says that she thoroughly enjoyed her modelling days. She says, "My ramp days were lovely and we made good friends too. Today, when I see Sonakshi take to the ramp, I relive my days through her eyes. It feels great to see her sport casual, western and Indian ensembles with such grace."

Style Mantra
Sonakshi likes to keep things simple and casual. "I don't like to dress up too much. Neither do I like to put on much make-up. If I could have it my way, I would attend even red carpet events in a pair of jeans. But then, you know, it's not considered the done thing," she rued. "I like to keep my make-up minimal and never go to sleep without removing every hint of it. My fave colour is orange. I love to play with colours and use fluorescence too, in a mix and match way with my jeans and tees."

Brand Connect
As a brand ambassador of Provogue, Sonakshi says it's a fine way to be visible in the public eye. "After Dabangg, my next release is by the year-end. So I decided on remaining connected with fans via brands. I choose them with discretion as my sensibility needs to match with them. Of course, the brand also does its bit of research and only then approaches an actor," she cues.

Fave Stuff
Accessories can make a fashion statement and I like to don a few, too. I really dig my dull gold dragonfly pendant, aviator sunglasses, multi-colour belt and watches.

Sonakshi isn't my best friend: Zarine

To a girl looking in from the outside, being labelled a Katrina Kaif doppelganger would be a compliment worthy to boost a young lady's self-esteem for quite sometime.

But for Salman's protégé Zarine Khan, who has been trying to recover from her debut in the box-office flop Veer, it has been more of a bane in her professional life.

The actress revealed, "You know after the release of Veer, I was lost. The film did not do as well as expected and I was not getting big offers.

Only new directors were approaching me. Then, there were all these comparisons about me being a Katrina Kaif look-alike and how I would eventually disappear like Sneha Ullal.

I was very insecure and had no film background. However, it's been over a year and with work coming in, I have been able to dispel all talks about me disappearing. However, now I have to shed one more issue and that's being a Katrina look alike."

The uncanny resemblance to Kaif has funnily enough made people believe Zarine too is from the UK. And with her British background being spread with conviction she is rumoured to have difficulty speaking Hindi. However, Zarine set the record straight, as she said, "There is this misconception that I am from UK and I am 26-27 years old.

The fact is I have been born and raised in Bombay and I am just 23 years old. I don't know why everyone feels that I can't speak Hindi. I cannot only speak Hindi but also Marathi and that too fluently. Mujhe koi problem nahi hai. I just hope that once and for all, it is clear."

Also, having a Dabangg Khan in your corner comes with the difficult task of dealing with the other ladies in his life, who are competing for his attention. Just recently, we heard how Sonakshi, green with envy, pushed Zarine at one of Salman's parties.

Zarine, the diplomat, laughed and simply said, "I don't think anyone needs to be insecure as Salman gives attention to everyone.

I won't say that Sonakshi is my best friend. We don't go out for coffee and have long conversations, however, there is no bad blood. When the news came out, Sonakshi smsed me and all is fine."

Although, she is happy with the attention Salman gives her, he has not been the only man to have catapulted Zarine's career. Contrary to popular belief, it was Sajid Naidawala and not Salman who offered her the role in Housefull 2.

Incidentally, Zarine's aunt and Sajid's sister have been friends for 20 years. Zarine said, "Sajid has practically seen me growing up. My aunt used to stay in the same building. However I started interacting with Sajid only after I joined the film industry."

With all the criticism she received for being overweight in Veer, the actress is all geared up to reveal her enviable look in Housefull 2.

She excitedly said, "Everybody wrote me off. People said I was very overweight but no one understood that I had to gain weight for the film. However, I had to really work hard to get back to what I am today.

The results are now to be seen. Now, with Housefull 2, I will be able to surprise people. I am work out twice a day and follow a strict diet."

Vindu, Sonakshi fight it out

Actors Sonakshi Sinha and Vindu Dara Singh had fun while shooting for Shirish Kunder's " Joker" in Chandigarh.

Both of them used to play scrabble between shots and the competition was tough.Among the cast and crew, Sonakshi was the best scrabble player, but Vindu was not far behind and used to give her a good fight. The film also stars Akshay Kumar.

"It is always like picnic shooting with Akshay. This time around Sonakshi was with us. She is very good at scrabble. When we played, she always won but, even she agrees with me that I gave her good fight as no could on the set," said Vindu.

Sonakshi's birthday surprise for Akon!

It was international singer Akon's birthday yesterday (April 16) and he got a gift from Sonakshi Sinha. The actress surprised him with a special hand-crafted, raw silk Nehru bandhgala suit, which was specially designed by daddy Shatrughan's designer.

Akon was so impressed that he promised to wear it for one of his shows. And where did all this happen? At the zoOm studio, where as guest-of-honor and celebrity host Sonakshi engaged the international singing sensation in a heartfelt interview.

Akon candidly spoke about his struggles, how the death of the legendary Michael Jackson affected him and his dreams of working in a Hindi movie.

The musician, however, refused to sing for the Dabangg girl and that's because he wanted her to attend his live concert. But Sonakshi, not one to give up, convinced him to mouth her famous dialogue 'Thappad se darr nahin lagta saaheb, pyaar se lagta hai'. Catch the interview on Planet Bollywood at 7 pm tomorrow, exclusively on zoOm!

Sonakshi beats Kat, Ash

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and newcomer Sonakshi Sinha have been named the most searched Indian celebrities on the web in a new survey by movie portal chakpak.com.

Salman beat action star Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn in the survey carried across the metros as well as tier-II and tier-III cities. Bollywood heartthrobs Ranbir Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor wrapped up the top five.

She might be one-film old, but Sonakshi came ahead of the likes of Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif to be the most searched celebrity on the internet among the female brigade.

Sonakshi made her debut with blockbuster "Dabangg" alongside Salman Khan and will now be seen with Akshay in Shirish Kunder's "Joker" and in " Dabangg 2".

Priyanka came second and Sonam Kapoor followed at the third slot. Aishwarya Rai and Katrina Kaif landed at the fourth and fifth spots in the survey.

Sonakshi's hotter than Deepika

Sonakshi Sinha seems to be giving Deepika Padukone a run for her money... 

If you thought her 'Thapad se nahin, pyar se darr lagta hai, sahab' dialogue in 'Dabangg' was too hot to handle, actress Sonakshi Sinha just proved that it can get hotter.

She has grooved to an item number 'Dance kar le English mein' which will be seen in the film 'Joker'. Chorepgraphed by Farah Khan, the unit members ensure us that there will be whistling and throwing of money by the first benchers in the theatre.

Compare her item number to Deepika Padukone's in 'Dum Maaro Dum' and everyone connected with Sonu's 'Dance kar le English mein' are more than ready to put money where their mouth is.

Sonakshi herself seems content with the way her dance has shaped up. She posted on her micro-blogging site: 'Joker update: dance karle english mein aur nach le tu hindi mein! filhaal yaha par toh hindi hi hindi mein naach rahe hain'.

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Sonakshi to groove in 'Joker'

Sonakshi Sinha is sure being pampered. When the actress who is shooting for Shirish Kunder's "Joker" got wistful at not having done any modern dance so far, choreographer Farah Khan, who was in Chandigarh to shoot a desi number, introduced a hip-hop section in it.

Akshay Kumar's song-and-dance with Sonakshi, meant to be a hard core desi number, was shot in the lush mustard fields of Chandigarh last week.

In the middle of the song, a hip-hop section was introduced, much to Sonakshi's delight as it was her first attempt at something western.

"Sonakshi was very keen on trying western steps. She was looking forward to grooving in 'Joker'. But when the first song and dance in the film turned out to be a desi item, she was disappointed. Shirish and Farah agreed to pamper her. And a hip-hop section was put in," a source said.

Farah Khan confirmed the inclusion of hip-hop in the song. "It's a situation where Akshay Kumar has returned home in Punjab from the US. There's a celebratory song and dance. It does have a very special hip-hop section."

Sonakshi not bold as Bips

The one-film old Sonakshi Sinha has already walked her way into prestigious projects like Joker and Prabhu Devaa's next with Akshay Kumar, an untitled film with Kamal Haasan, Race-2 with Saif Ali Khan, Dabangg-2 and Kick with Salman Khan.

Salman's protégé does come with her share of will-dos and won't-dos. Being the daughter of BJP Minister and yesteryear superstar Shatrughan Sinha comes with its share of advantages; and responsibilities.

A trade source says, "She is already getting paid a bomb. We hear that her remuneration for Race-2 is almost a crore and she is getting paid twice that amount for the Kamal Haasan film.'' What's more, according to trade circles, Sonakshi has a stringent contract. "It stipulates 'no kissing, no explicit lovemaking and no bikini','' says our source.

Because of her lineage, the Dabangg girl is allowed to dictate terms to filmmakers. Though the born-with-a-chip-on-her-square-shoulders actress refuses to divulge anything, a source from the crew of Race-2 reveals that she has made it clear to director-duo Abbas-Mustan that she is okay with doing something as hot as Katrina, but she will not do the kind of bold scenes that Bipasha did in Race.

Quick Rewind:
Saif and Bipasha steamed it up in a barn scene in Race and the Bengali bombshell also seduced' Akshaye Khanna on screen with her bare-n-dare act. Whereas Kat played the sweet secretary who shed her inhibitions in just the song-dance routine.

Sonakshi Sinha Fem’s new brand ambassador

New Delhi, March 10 – “Dabangg” actress Sonakshi Sinha has been appointed as the brand ambassador for cosmetic brand Fem Fairness Bleach.

 

Fem is a product of Dabur India, which has recently acquired it.

“As a consumer, I have been associated with Dabur for years now. So, it gives me great pleasure to be associated with a large beauty brand with a stature of Fem and be the face for the brand,” said Sonakshi.

This is not the first time the 23-year-old has endorsed a cosmetic brand. Earlier she replaced actress Katrina Kaif as brand ambassador for beauty soap brand Diana.

Riding high on the success of “Dabangg”, the actress is busy shooting for Shirish Kunder’s “Joker” along with Akshay Kumar.

Acting with Kamal is difficult: Sonakshi

Sonakshi Sinha does not believe her 33-year age difference with Kamal Haasan will deter her from playing his wife in Tamil and Telugu director Selvaraghavan's film

I will be respectful but an equal on the sets with Kamal Haasan," says Sonakshi Sinha, who is gearing up to star as Haasan's wife, in the Tamil-Telugu director Selvaraghavan's film.

When asked if the 33-year age difference between Haasan and her will be an obstacle, Sinha tells us, "Why should that be a problem? Once you are on the sets in front of the camera, your age should not matter.

I never felt like a child while working with Salman in Dabangg (2010) and now with Akshay in Joker. In real life, age makes no difference in a marriage.

On screen too, your biological age is of no consequence. Salman and Akshay are a lot older than me so it's not as if I am suddenly going from teenybopper co-stars to a co-star of another generation."

Apart from the co-stars age difference, the movie has also reportedly garnered attention for being a remake of Hollywood director Ridley Scott's Hannibal (2001).

However, the actress quickly squashes all the rumours saying, "I don't know where these speculations started from. No this film is a complete original. When I heard the script, I was blown away."

Currently, Sinha is busy making all the efforts to get into character. She plans to watch Haasan's film, Hey Ram(2000), where the actor is married to Vasundhara Das, who is at least 25 years his junior, so as to see how they enacted a convincing on-screen chemistry.

In order to effectively portray Haasan's on-screen wife, Sinha wants to establish an off-screen rapport with him first, as she tells us, "I need to establish a comfort level with him. I certainly feel an initial nervousness, since Kamalji is legendary.

Acting with him is difficult enough. Playing his wife will require me to have a lot more guts."

To eliminate the language barrier, Sinha is taking cues from her father, Shatrughan, to learn how to read Tamil and Telugu, without making it obvious.

She adds, "It is impossible for me to get a grip on Tamil and Telugu in such a short time.

My father couldn't speak either language when he did Rakht Charitra (2010). He read out the lines from cue cards but no one could make it out and so now he is teaching me this trick of the trade."

Vidya Balan in a bikini!

After Sonakshi Sinha, it's actress Vidya Balan who's facing the consequences of being a celeb in the time of the internet.

Last December, morphed pictures of Sonakshi Sinha in a bikini for a magazine cover had floated online. But, Sonakshi was quick to point out and clarified immediately on her social networking page that those were not her pictures, and that she was shocked at the stories around the fake photo shoot.

And now Vidya's facing the same situation. A few days ago, she was shocked to learn that a morphed picture of hers in a black bikini for a magazine cover had been posted online and was doing the rounds. The photo has been morphed on the cover of a famous men's magazine for the 'Annual 2011' edition. But when we contacted the actress, she was completely shocked and denied shooting for the mag. She is now taking legal action against those responsible for this. She told us, "First Sonakshi and then me... When I heard there was a picture of me in a bikini on a magazine cover, I thought someone was being mistaken for me because I haven't done a shoot like this. But I was shocked when I saw it. I will be taking proper legal action against the people who are responsible for this."

The two aren't the first to suffer the bane of morphed pictures that make their way online. In 2009, actress Celina Jaitly had filed a legal case against two websites – a gadgets blog and a Bollywood portal – for uploading obscene morphed picture of hers online. A magazine, in 2006, had carried morphed pictures of South Indian star Khushboo in a red transparent bikini, which had resulted in the actress filing a police complaint against the magazine.

No "Munni' for Sonakshi

Though there were rumours that Sonakshi Sinha will do an item number, the actress says she is not open to the idea.

Sonakshi Sinha has been riding high post the success of her debut film and with all the accolades she received at all award functions this year. Presently shooting with Akshay Kumar for Shirish Kunder's Joker in Chandigarh, there was news that she might do an item number in the film. Perhaps that came from the fact that Shirish Kunder's wife Farah Khan was the woman responsible for both the hottest item numbers of last year – ' Munni ' and ' Sheila '.

However Sonakshi recently denied any such development. The actress has flatly refused that she would do item numbers. But why no to item numbers especially in times when the biggest of actresses are open to it since it gives quick fame and money?

Sonakshi feels she is just not bold enough to do an item song. Though she danced to Munni Badnaam Hui at a recent award function, which might have perhaps led to the rumours, she maintains that she is not comfortable doing one for a film. Though open to dancing, she isn't open to item numbers.

Sonakshi Sinha wants to date Ranveer Singh?

The Band Baaja Baaraat actor, Ranveer Singh made a mark not only at the BO, he also seems to have stolen many-a-heart, and Sonakshi Sinha's is one of them.

On a talk show with Karan Johar recently, Sonakshi was asked whom she would like to date.

Quite candidly, the actress confessed, "Ranveer Singh, if only he was single!" Sonakshi is surely impressed by the actor and his antics. Touted to be dating Anushka Sharma, his Band Baaja Baaraat co-star, Ranveer isn't in the 'available' league as of the moment.

However, Ranveer and Anushka deny that they are a couple, and Anushka did leave a message for Sonakshi whilst on the same talk show. "Take him. He's all yours," she said.