I used to weigh somewhere around 95 kilos. Boys used to bully me, bully me in
school called me names. And I was told by one of the girls, one of the thin girls
that you handle the lights and the music. So I said why I want to walk the ramp.
She's like no you're too big to walk the ramp.
There's a, it's a very funny instance, there's a very big filmmaker who's called me to
his office and offered me three of some very big films that he's made and I've
read in the papers after three-four days that he signed another heroine for the film.
With nepotism debate being the current go-to talking point in the
industry, more often than not we think that star kids, especially actors who
belong to the industry, have it easy but sharing her own untold story today is a
star kid who has not had it easy, Sonakshi Sinha. It's so sad you know that
the only people who talk about nepotism are the ones who have made it without
nepotism. If I was somebody who didn't have a parent in the industry and who
made it on my own I would be so proud of that fact and I would just you know be
talking about that rather than trying to bring other people down. Yeah. I mean it's
so sad and honestly like whatever field you're in, if tomorrow you're doing well
in a certain way you will do whatever it takes for your kids to succeed and you
know do whatever you can so I don't know why this conversation keeps coming up.
And honestly, there are so many examples I will give you of people who are not
connected to the industry in any way, who are the biggest stars in a
country. Akshay Kumar, yeah. This John Abraham, this Deepika Padukone, there's
Shahrukh Khan yes. I mean the list is endless and there's so many star kids
also who have had you know the only thing that we get is the first meeting
or the first film. Beyond that, what? Yeah, it's your talent. If you're not, if
you're not talented nobody wants to see you on the screen. It's as simple as that. The
audience will reject you. So this whole conversation really needs to end. You
know. There's two sides to everything and we are only constantly
hearing this one side of nepotism. This word has only
become like I don't know what. This is my opinion that star kids have a different
kind of pressure. Yeah it's difficult for people to make it. For outsiders to make
it or get the first meeting but even if the star kids get it there's an added
pressure of matching up to their legacy. Absolutely. You're constantly compared to your
parents. Every move you make is I don't know what scrutinized a whole lot more
than you know you would a normal person I think. It's like I said every side
has you know every story has two sides to it so tomorrow there could be someone
who's come from the outside and has gotten their first break and has hit
superstar and that's happened to ya so many people you know. Even Deepkika Padukone
for that matter. Her first film was a super hit. She was accepted.
The audience's love her and today she's the biggest star in our country. Ranveer Singh.
Yeah. Ranveer Singh, of course. I mean there's so many people. So I really
think people should stop you know trying to feel bad about something that is not
in a star kids control. We can't choose our parents. If our parents
were actors, fine. You know the interest happens. Some kids, like I never wanted to become an actor. Yeah.
You never wanted to become an actor. I never wanted to be an actor so my father never
spoke to anyone for me. Yeah. I was told saamne se that you do this film. Nobody
asked me if I wanted to act. So I mean I'm a big example for that as well. The
audience could have rejected me but they didn't. There are different kinds of
struggle that you went through you know. How much of bullying or fat-shaming did
you brave in your school, in college? Quite a bit. I had my fair share because
I was a fat kid. I used to weigh somewhere around 95 kilos. I've always
been a big kid and you know even though I played so many sports and all the boys
used to bully me in school, called me names. They used to not
consider me for any of the main roles in the plays in school. I used to always be the
narrator or someone on the side I remember. But honestly like I feel so
proud right now. Like for instance I remember this thing that happened in
college you know. We used to have our annual day. I studied fashion designing.
So we used to put our annual day show together and we had to
organize a fashion show and I always wanted to be a model, like walk on the
ramp.I didn't want to be on the sideline. I wanted to walk the ramp and I was told
by one of the girls, one of the thin girls that you handle the lights and the
music. So I said why I want to walk the ramp. She's like no you're too big to walk the
ramp, yeah. And I just felt really bad at that point of time because you know when
you're growing up and there's so much that you want to do and who is this girl
who's telling me that I can't do something just because she happens to
weigh 10 kilos less than me or 20 kilos less than you know and honestly these
things stay with you and right now I feel so good about where I've reached
and what I've achieved is because these things have happened you know. Now look
at me, now look at where I am. It's a feeling of pride and it didn't stop even
then you know. I lost 30 kilos to do my first film yeah
and when it released, honestly like the audience's really lapped me up. The worst
part is I used to get fat shamed by people within the industry and by the
media and that really hurt. I was like here there's someone who's trying to do
something different who does, okay fine, I don't look like your average stick
figure person yeah, but I don't have to and honestly, I knew that my looks, I had
a lot more to offer than just the way I look or how much I weighed honest on a
weighing scale you know. You're not just a number and for me I never took that to
heart.When you get bullied, beyond a point, very early in your life, you
really get to know the mechanism to handle it
and then people stop bullying you. Yeah. Has that ever happened because today
nobody has the guts to come and bully you because we've seen those yeah you
you give it back yeah but was there ever a moment when when you couldn't maybe.
I used to beat up the boys in school. I'm not kidding.
Fab. Yeah. I have also done that. Yeah. They used to come and call me names and I gave
one chamaat right straight on the face. I used to chase them, I used to pin them
down, I used to sit on them. They couldn't breathe. Like I used to get really like
physically violent but I didn't want to take that you know. I
mean why would you call me names and you know do, its just mean things and
honestly like I like I said I've been a strong person but a lot of people are
not that strong and I want people to be strong, I want people to be confident
about themselves and be comfortable in their own skin and be able to give
it back yeah because nobody is anybody to tell you what you can and what you
can't do and how you should look how you, should be as long as you're healthy as
long as you're happy, that is all that matters. I wanted to ask you that you
know recently Karen Deol has opened up and said that he was bullied in school
but he could never share it with his family because he felt that you know my
father is an action star would be what would he think of it and it's really
shocking and sad at the same time. Have you ever thought of that even
as a kid? Like maybe I can't share it with my
family or my mom and dad right now. Did you share? No honestly. I didn't let it
reach a point where I needed to share it. I used to handle it on my own.
Yeah. Bullying is a big deal. Yeah. It should not be done and so for me it
wasn't that big really because I used to handle it at my own level. How much have
you been a victim of that? Have you ever been like replaced for ridiculous
reasons and replaced or not told, not informed? It's a very funny instance. There's a
very big filmmaker who has called me to his office and offered me three of some
very big films that he's made and I've always gone to his office and he's
praised me and praised me, praised me to no end. I have a chai with him thrice
and I've read in the papers after three four days that he signed another heroine
for the film. So the fourth time I don't know I bumped into him or I spoke to him
someway I told him, sir, I don't want to have any more tea with you. If you have
a script that you want to give me please call me then. I'm tired of having chai
with you. So stuff like that I mean it's not nice to do that you know. To
give someone that kind of hope and then not even tell them personally.
Other than that, there was this one instance I was doing this film where we
were supposed to start shooting in like 10 days and I heard some chatter from
outside about the producers saying that I
need to lose weight for the film. But you knew how I weigh when you made me
sign the film. And yeah if that was your concern you should have told me in that
point of time which was six months back. I would
have lost weight. It's not like my co-actor was the fittest. So it was really, it was
funny but eventually it did not, I was a part of that film so but things like
that stay in your head. Yeah absolutely. There is rampant sexism in the industry yeah.
Absolutely. For sure. Which is why I'm very happy that the film like Mission Mangal has come
because it breaks that barrier. Yeah. How much of sexism have you faced? Has that
ever happened to you where they're kind of like really been ridiculous with the
remuneration. That happens with every film that is driven by a female
protagonist. The budget is either quarter or less than that of your
big-budget film which has a male superstar or actor. Yeah. It's a sad truth yeah and
honestly it all really depends on the audience.
Absolutely. Because today if you're giving that kind of love to you know a
male star, you can dole out some even for the, you know, girls.
It was lovely talking to you about your struggles and you know I always feel
as a person that everybody has a story to say and we just, Don't call it my
struggle. It's not you're struggle. I am not a victim. You're not. yeah. Of course you're not.
But these are stories that never get, it's my life, yeah,
and never get viewed I think especially because of what I said but I'm so happy
that you shared it and it was lovely talking to you. I really enjoyed this conversation. Thank
you. It was lovely sharing my story with Nayandeep. If you like this video, please
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