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Shatrughan Sinha has never been tough on Sonakshi: He is soft, a silent supporter
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In Sonakshi Sinha’s latest film, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s courtroom drama System on Prime Video India, she plays a budding lawyer and the daughter of a top advocate (played by Ashutosh Gowariker), who requires her to win 10 cases in a row as a public prosecutor if she wants to serve as a partner at his reputed law firm. “What is this reverse nepotism?’,” her character asks in the film.But Sonakshi tells SCREEN in an exclusive interview that she’s never had to face “reverse nepotism” in her real life, even though her father Shatrughan Sinha is a veteran actor. He had no direct part to play in launching her, as Sonakshi made a dream debut opposite Salman Khan in Abhinav Kashyap’s 2010 hit Dabangg.‘My dad has been a silent supporter’ “My father has always given me the freedom to choose my path, right since when I was studying fashion designing. That was the path I’d chosen for myself. Life chose another path for me. That’s a different story,” she says, smiling. “He’s always been a silent supporter. No matter what happens, he’ll have my back. To have that kind of strength and support from your father means a lot to a girl in today’s day and age,” she adds. Sonakshi Sinha plays a budding lawyer in System.The only advice she got from her father once she turned an actor? “You go do your thing, and I know you’d do well.” Sonakshi admits those words have given her “wings”. Unlike her onscreen father in System, Shatrughan Sinha has never been a taskmaster. “My dad is very soft. He looks tough and does all this ‘khamosh, vamosh, and all’, but he’s very soft,” she says, laughing. But the softness doesn’t imply that he’d sugarcoat the criticism for his daughter. “He does tell me where it’s due. Everybody knows that about my father that he’s very honest and transparent, and he says it when he needs to say it. So, I always appreciate it when he comes to me with the honest, honest truth,” adds Sonakshi, who’s shared screen space with him only once, for their cameos in the song “Rafta Rafta Medley” from the 2018 action comedy Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se. ‘There was a shift in me with Akira’ Shatrughan Sinha, a true-blue commercial star of the 1970s and the 1980s, also never interfered in Sonakshi’s career trajectory. After playing the leading lady in money-spinners like Dabangg, Rowdy Rathore, Son of Sardaar, Dabangg 2 (2012), R… Rajkumar (2013), and Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty (2014), Sonakshi couldn’t help headline her own action movie, AR Murugadoss’ Akira in 2016. She agrees that there was a shift in her mindset and consequently, career choices after that. “Hundred percent, and that clearly shows in the choices of my films after. I didn’t want to settle for roles anymore,” asserts Sonakshi. “I needed meatier parts. I needed to portray women in a certain light on screen, which made me feel empowered more than anything else. I started choosing my roles in a way where all my characters had agency. They were relatable, aspirational, and strong in their opinions and ways,” adds the actor.Story continues below this ad Sonakshi Sinha in Akira.Of course, choosing that path has come with its own share of setbacks. Films like Noor (2017), Welcome to New York (2018), Kalank (2019), Khandaani Shafakhana (2019), Double XL (2022), and Nikita Roy (2025) haven’t exactly landed at the box office. “Honestly, I’ve been better off. There have been hits and misses, films that have worked and those that haven’t, but that’s fine because the process of playing those characters was so fulfilling for me as an actor that I finally feel like I’m doing the right thing,” confesses Sonakshi. But even the shift within her hasn’t deterred Sonakshi from continuing to pick tentpoles like Force 2 (2016), Dabangg 3 (2019), Bhuj: The Pride of India (2021), Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024), and Jatadhara (2025). But she maintains that she didn’t strike this balance out of fear. “There was no fear. I’ve done everything. I’ve done the singing and dancing around the trees. I
New DelhiMay 21, 2026 01:54 PM IST Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal shared the video in a joint Instagram post. (Photo: Instagram/Sonakshi Sinha, Giorgia Meloni)Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s viral ‘Melody’ moment has completely taken over the internet, with social media flooded with memes, reels and jokes around the popular Indian toffee. Now, actors Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal have joined the trend with a playful Instagram reel. The couple shared the video in a joint Instagram post on Wednesday, putting their own humorous spin on the internet trend inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s recent ‘Melody’ exchange in Rome.“In a parallel universe,” Sonakshi captioned the reel. The clip opens with Sonakshi asking Zaheer, “What do you wanna ask?” Zaheer then replies, “You know exactly how much I love you.” Sonakshi says, “No, then.” Moments later, Zaheer dramatically pulls out a Melody toffee and says its tagline, “Melody khao, khud jaan jao” [Eat Melody and find out]. He then places the candy on her shoulder and walks away, while Sonakshi jokingly picks it up and pretends to throw it back at him. Netizens react The reel quickly went viral, with fans flooding the comments section with laughing emojis and reactions praising the couple’s chemistry and comic timing. One user wrote, “Zaheer never fails to be Zaheer,” while another commented, “Sona your expressions at the end always gets me and Zaheer toh hai hi pareshan karne..” Other comments read, “Melody is trending now,” “You both are sooo cute, full of entertainment,” and “You will never be bored for sure … Full on entertainment in your house without any cost.” ALSO READ: Drishyam 3 Movie Review Live Updates: Mohanlal delivers another edge-of-seat thriller, say early reviews; Rs 50 cr global opening expected Melody trend The ‘Melody’ trend traces back to PM Modi’s recent visit to Rome, where he gifted Giorgia Meloni a packet of the popular Indian toffee. In a video later shared online, Meloni said, “Prime Minister Modi brought us a gift – a very, very good toffee.” PM Modi then chimed in with “Melody,” prompting both leaders to burst into laughter. Story continues below this ad The video got viral in no time and has garnered 193 million views till now. The moment instantly reignited the already popular ‘Melodi” meme trend associated with the two leaders and sparked a flood of memes, captions and reels across social media platforms. Sonakshi and Zaheer are not the only celebrities to hop onto the trend. Kriti Kharbanda also shared her take on social media with photos from a chocolate-themed shoot captioned, “Yeh Melody itni chocolaty kyun hoti hai?” About System Meanwhile, Sonakshi is gearing up for the release of her upcoming film System. System is a courtroom drama that explores the ideological clash between a father-daughter duo in the legal world. The film stars Sonakshi Sinha as Neha, a fierce young lawyer who finds herself at odds with her highly accomplished lawyer father, played by Ashutosh Gowariker. She is joined by Jyotika, who plays Sarika, a sharp and street-smart courtroom stenographer hiding secrets of her own. The film is produced by Pammi Baweja, Harman Baweja and Smitha Baliga, and written by Harman Baweja, Arun Sukumar, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Tasneem Lokhandwala and Akshat Ghidial. System is set to premiere on Prime Video on May 22.
New DelhiMay 20, 2026 02:59 PM IST Sonakshi Sinha and Jyotika support Deepika Padukone. (Photo: Sonakshi Sinha/Jyotika/Instagram)Whenever a successful South Indian star works in a Hindi project, questions comparing the two industries almost inevitably follow. During one such conversation, Jyotika candidly spoke about the stark differences she experienced between Bollywood and the Tamil film industry. The actress revealed that while Bollywood “shut its doors” on her after her first Hindi film failed, the Tamil industry continued to offer her opportunities despite an initial setback. She also reflected on healthier work culture practices in the South, wondering why Deepika Padukone’s demand for an eight-hour work shift became such a controversial issue. ‘Bollywood shut its doors for me’: Jyotika Speaking to Times Entertainment, Jyotika shared: “When my first Hindi film didn’t work at the box office, Bollywood shut the door for me. However, when my first Tamil film didn’t work out, people looked up to my work and flooded me with options. That’s one major difference.”However, the actress also acknowledged that Bollywood has evolved over the years, especially in the way women’s roles are being written. “Now when I have returned to Bollywood, I can see a change. The kind of scripts they are writing for women in their 40s, South is yet to explore that side. I feel they both have their pluses and minuses,” she added. ‘In South, we pack up after 6 PM’ Speaking about working hours on film sets, Jyotika pointed out how structured schedules are far more common in the South film industry. “I don’t know because in South we have our shifts getting over at 6. They pack up at 6 for 99 percent films. We start early morning — it is always like 7 to 6 or 9 to 6,” she said. Sonakshi Sinha, who was also part of the conversation, questioned why actresses demanding shorter shifts continues to spark debate. “Why are we even questioning it yet? There are so many male actors who don’t work a minute beyond eight hours. Irrespective of whether their shot is done or not, they sit in their car and leave. Nobody questions them,” she said. She further added: “Now, I feel if you are an actor and have reached a level where you are doing such good work and have been in the industry for long enough, it is okay to demand an eight-hour shift.” Jyotika agreed, especially highlighting the challenges faced by working mothers. “Especially when you are a mom,” she added. Sonakshi nodded in agreement and said: “Yes, especially after you have just given birth. It is okay. She deserves that.” The two actresses are currently gearing up for the release of their courtroom drama series, System. When Deepika Padukone walked out of two major films Last year, Deepika Padukone found herself at the centre of industry-wide discussions after reportedly exiting two major projects — Spirit with Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Kalki 2898 AD Part 2 with Nag Ashwin. While Spirit reportedly became controversial over Deepika’s demand for an eight-hour work shift, Kalki 2898 AD Part 2 sparked rumours around scheduling conflicts and demands for a higher pay cheque. However, following both controversies, several industry insiders and fans largely supported Deepika’s stance, especially considering she wanted to spend more time with her daughter after nearly two decades of working continuously and establishing herself as one of India’s biggest stars.Story continues below this ad Deepika recently also shared news of her second pregnancy through a heartwarming Instagram post featuring her daughter, Dua.
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