Indian actor Sonakshi Sinha, who is soon to celebrate the ten glorious years of her acting debut in Bollywood this year, has always preferred to listen to her heart. Hence, when she thought that her sanity was being compromised after being brutally trolled on social media post Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, she quit Twitter. And she has no plans of coming back on the platform anytime soon.
Sharing how Twitter was a ‘buzz kill’ for her, the ‘Dabangg’ actor said to Hindustan Times, “Twitter has become such a playing ground for negativity with people going on and on about anything and everything and in such a gutsy manner. It’s not something I’d want in my life, anyway. Also, we spend more time on the internet than in real, so I think they should really be cleaned up, and which is why I got off it.”
“My life has changed for the better; it’s much cleaner, so I have no complaints. And I’ve also put my comments off on Instagram.”
However, she also feels sad because “so many of my fans have been cut off, there’s no interaction anymore with them.” She added, “Social media, for me, has always been a way to connect with my fans. And I’ve always put out the things that I want to share with the world. But there’s so much of uninvited negativity. I’m really okay without that.”
“Today, I’d want to tell young people, all young boys and girl, who’re impressionable, that your life is not successful because of the number of likes, followers and the validation that you get on the internet.”
Talking about the increasing rage of people towards star kids, Sonakshi said, “Nobody likes to hear abuses about themselves for what, for being actors? For being born to a particular set of parents? I’m sorry! Where’s the logic in that? It’s been blown so much out of proportion.”
Opening up on the insider vs outsider debate, she divulged, “Has anybody really counted? Today there are more outsiders than so-called insiders in the industry, who have made it very big and have lots of work, more than people who’re grown up in any film family. Why nobody raises that point?”
“So, there’s a lot of misdirected anger about a lot of things, a herd mentality and people are being ‘bhadkaoed’. One person said something, and the whole world starts attacking star kids without putting any sense into it.”
“Okay, fine, being related to a film family can help in that first meeting or that first audition or that first film. But, after that, what? This whole hullabaloo about, ‘Oh, somebody can make or break someone’, I’m sorry; nobody can make or break anyone except for the audience. We’re all here today because our audience has accepted us to some extent whether it’s an insider or an outsider. We respect that. If the audience doesn’t accept a person, his career won’t go anywhere. So, it’s sad to attack star kids. We work hard and put in as much hard work as anybody else.”
Sushant’s demise also sparked a discussion on nepotism in Bollywood. Shedding light on it, the ‘shotgun junior’ said, “See, it might be happening (in Bollywood), but it happens everywhere else as well. The word nepotism isn’t only limited to the film industry. Today, a businessman will hand over his business to his son, and not to a random person based on merit, no matter how good he is, his family would come first.”
Taking a dig at Kangana Ranaut who has been bashing several B-town celebs for supporting nepotism, she said, “And I find it so amusing that this word nepotism has been introduced and sensationalized by a person whose sister is managing their work. And I don’t think I really want to give it that much more importance.”
“Having said that, my father (Shatrughan Sinha) has never picked up the phone and called any producer to say, ‘Take my daughter in your film’.”
“I was offered ‘Dabangg’ (2010) because yes, my family knew Salman Khan’s family, but that’s it. They saw me, thought I’ll fit the role, and I was offered the film. After that, I had to work very hard. I’ve always been very punctual. I have very good work ethics and the audience accepted me. These are the four things that have helped me sustain a career for ten years right now.”
Several movies lead by star kids have been facing flak right now, talking of it, she said, “These people are calling out young girls, Ananya Panday, Alia Bhatt, Janhvi Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, imagine what they’d be going through. It’s just not nice. Though I know they’re very strong girls and are keeping their chin up and sailing through it, so I’m happy about that.”
The ‘Lootera’ actor concluded by saying:
“I don’t understand why people have so many expectations of you, and if you’re not complying with what they’re saying, feeling or thinking, you end up getting trolled. This is something that needs to stop. I feel it’s about time we all create some awareness about this and work towards changing this.”
With that being said, I think people need to learn how to give constructive criticism because excessive bullying and trolling can also take a negative toll on someone’s mental health.