Tell us a little about yourself; briefly tell us about your background?
I’m from a town inPunjabcalled Moga. My mother was a teacher, my father a businessman. Among the three children, I am the only son. After school, I did electronic engineering inNagpur. It was while I was studying there that I was selected as one of the top 5 in a modelling contest and people started to suggest I do ads and films.
You have been nominated for the best actor is the negative role for the iifa awards, for which you also won an Apsara award. How do you feel about that and what are the chances of you winning it, you have strong competition.
I’m honoured by the nomination and that the role has been appreciated so widely. That in itself is very satisfying. I have great respect for the actors also nominated in this category at IIFA. Let the best man win!
The movie Dabbang and of course your character Chhedi Singh has been loved by the audiences. How does it feel?
Dabanng was a fantatstic film and I’m delighted I was part of it. You know audiences have connected with your character deeply when they come up to you calling you by your screen name and mouthing dialogues from the film! On a personal level its the most satisfying thing for an actor to have a film appreciated by audiences and doing well on the box office. I’ve been very lucky that way — be it Jodha Akbar or Dabanng or Singgh is Kinng. And I think BBudha will also be fantatsic.
Tell us, how you prepared yourself for this role? And what were the challenges you had to face?
I spent time with some UP politicians and worked on body language, nuances, etc. I also had to work on my fitness a lot as there were a lot of action sequences, with none other than Salman Khan. In college I had many friends who were from UP andBiharand so I knew how they spoke and their accents, so this helped me to accept the challenge and perform it well.
When you signed up for the role in Dabbang, did you always know that the movie would be the success that it has become?
I had faith in the script and I was sure it would do well. The characters in the script are amazing. I loved the action sequences
Critics appreciated the fact that you made yourself noticeable when you were paired against someone as good as Salman Khan, how do you feel about this?
Salman Bhai is superstar and it was a terrific experience to work with him in Dabanng. I feel Chedi Singh and Chulbul Pandey are like a package that worked well together and I was happy with the way my role turned out.
How do you keep away from the trivialities of show business. You have a wife and family, does a stable family and home go hand in hand with success and fame in Bollywood?
I have a very simple and straight forward personality. There is no such problem. My wife and kids are very supportive and the fame in Bollywood does not affect my family life. I’ve known my wife since my days inNagpur, so I’m Sonu, much before being a celebrity for her.
Recently you have stripped for PETA. Have you always been a vegetarian?
Yes I have always been a vegetarian. I strongly believe in the concept and think its entirely possible to achieve your fitness goals and your nutrition goals being a vegetarian.
It is fair to say that you have reinvented yourself and found tremendous success. Tell us how you ensured that your make- over got you where you are today
I think its an evolution more than a makeover. There were many years of great struggle. Its an ongoing process of learning and growing that I think will always continue and never stop. But I am happy with who I am as a person today and look forward to many more challenges.
What are your forthcoming films? What kind of roles do you have in them?
My forthcoming films are Rana, Buddha and Maximum. They are all terrific scripts and roles. I am looking forward to them.
Lastly, what would you like to tell your fans?
Thank you for your support. It is my biggest encouragement in this field.
