Sonakshi Sinha looks fit and beautiful - all excited for her first film to hit the screens in September. In Dabangg, her role is of a village belle, who plays an important part in changing the life of the protagonist played by Salman. Sonakshi is candid when she says she always wanted a more glamorous debut but has no complaints about her first film. "I did want a glamorous debut. Who doesn't want it? But then these days who knows what will work and what won't. The film has turned out well; it has an actor as popular as Salman and I feel it's a nice project to start off with. I think I made a good decision," the youngster says with confidence.

Considering so many actresses are giving a nod to item numbers, will she think of doing one in future? "No. I am not open to item numbers. I am happy with what I am doing," she said with a coy smile.

Does the age difference between a 40-plus Salman and a 20-something Sonakshi bother her “The story justifies it. Besides all the superstars today, be it Salman, Shah Rukh (Khan), Aamir (Khan) or Akshay (Kumar), are past 40 and have been around for 20 years now. And most of the new girls are as old as me. As long as you play the role right, age doesn’t matter. We’ve known Salman bhai for the longest time. He has great respect for my parents and is very protective about me. I was a kid when Maine Pyar Kiya released. (Smiles) I would sing ‘Kabutar ja ja ja…’ over and over again. Who would have imagined that one day I would be in a movie with Salman bhai?”

She used to be a chubby little girl once. Couldn’t have been easy shedding all that puppy fat “It took two years and two trips to the gym everyday to cut down from 90 kgs to 60 kgs. No cakes, chocolates or pizzas. Now, that there’s not much weight left to lose, I can indulge myself once in a while. I don’t have to visit the gym more than once a day.”

Sonakshi intends to be very selective about her future films "I don't have to struggle a lot and sign up films frivolously, I don't have to buy a house or car, I am well settled with my family. So I want to work at my own pace and so I will be and can be extremely choosy about my films,” luxury of being choosy thanks to being Shatrughan Sinha's daughter.

It's easy for star kids does she agree with this "There are both sides to being a star kid. For my brother (Luv Sinha), Sadiyaan didn't prove to be a successful launch. So it's easy for some, and tough for some. It's easy for star kids in the sense that our parents have been in the industry for a long time and they have contacts; so filmmakers are that much more accessible. But it also has a downside - people have a lot more expectations from you. For me, it has been a beautiful journey so far, and I believe no journey is complete without both ups and downs equally. So I am very happy," says a proud daughter of Shatrughan Sinha.

Spoilt Childhood:
"I am papa's girl. I am the pampered child in the family and being the youngest you deserve it, don't you? But luckily I wasn't spoilt by the numerous gifts and toys thanks to my mother, she had a big role to play in that. What's more, even today, you won't see me carrying a Louis Vuitton bag and going out every night to party. I'm more of a home buddy and that credit goes to my mother."

Friends:
"I don't have any friends from the film industry. They are mere acquaintances. I have my own set of friends with whom I hang out. Yes, my parents took me out to parties but it mainly used to be for them. The lifestyle of film industry children is something I wouldn't relate to right now. May be later when I absolutely have to socialise, I will. Right now I am keeping well in my own little world."

Fashion World:
"Four years ago I used to be this round chubby child with spectacles. I was nowhere thinking to enter films. I was planning to enter the fashion world instead. I did my fashion designing for three years from SNDT. I did extremely well in that. I was the Student Of The Year and wanted to pursue fashion designing. Then I started going as a volunteer at the Lakme Fashion Week. While doing all this, I became conscious of myself and wanted to walk the ramp too. That's when I started losing weight and landed up walking for six designers. I picked up modelling from my mother who was a model in her days and won the Miss India crown too. She has been and will always be an inspiration. I wanted to break the mould because I felt that all the models were skinny, whereas the normal Indian woman isn't like them. At the moment, I am healthy, fit and trying to shed more kilos for my role. My dream would be to walk the ramp for the international designer Valentino."

The 'Khan' brigade:
"Salman bhai and family are very close friends since childhood. Salman bhai was the one who encouraged me while I was losing weight. He kept telling me lose some weight and we'll do a film together. Well, I ended up losing thirty. I had this thing in mind before I did my first Bollywood film. I never wanted to do something that I am in real life. Dabang has me transformed into the village. It's a different side of me. I took it up as a challenge."

Then and Now:
"What I have learnt and would want to carry with me from my dad and the people from his era is the confidence they had. They weren't the best of lookers. They weren't having toned physique; they weren't taking their shirts off, etc. Just by being yourself and projecting your personality is all that matters. That's what impresses me about the yesteryear era. From today's era, looking stunning, grooming, staying fit and slim is what is essential to survive. I prefer actors like Konkana Sen Sharma and Chitrangada Singh who bring something different. They are my personal favourite choice."

The 'K' word - Khamosh:
"My dad uses the 'K' word all the time. In general conversations too he will put it. If you can manage to pull off something like that, you are bound to be the one piece original. Shatrughan Sinha does not imitate anyone, yet the whole wide world imitates him. He has come up from nowhere. From being a nothing in Patna, Bihar, to doing films and then becoming the first Cabinet Minister from Bollywood is a big leap for a man of his stature."

Shatrughan Sinha's sense of humour:
"We all have read about his sense of humour in Filmfare. My favourite answer of his is when someone questions him - Are you happily married? To which he answers - 'I am married and my wife is happy.' My father has a scar next to his lips and I remember him telling me that he will never change anything about himself. I too have a scar on my eyebrow and that for me is my trademark. I would not want to change it for anything."