Acquainted with theatre since the age of 6, Sonakshi believes in tramping over the benchmark former great actors have set. She was enrolled in several workshops conducted by National School of Drama at the age of 6. She witnessed the change from being a hesitant child initially reluctant in going to the workshop to feeling “devasted” at the conclusion of the workshop. She believes her parents kickstarted and fostered her interest in theatre, tells that they were theatre enthusiast themselves, his father even had his own theatre group back then and her primary inspiration rests with her father’s acting skills. Oftentimes you need a retrospective eye to recognize your potential and give you a direction. Engaged in commercials and serials at a tender age she was given that direction where she found her joy by her parents which she carried out avidly after college by herself.
Sonakshi has worked in the remarkable plays like “Romi-Juli” directed by Mohit Tripathi and “Machli Jal Ki Rani” directed by Shilpa Shukla and has been a part of commercials for Parle 20-20, Airtel, Vivo and Nescafé. She accepts her efforts as a necessary endeavor in achieving her goal and declines calling the small “hurdles” as “struggles”. She marks failures as a sort of ‘Riyaz’ for the actual performance that lies ahead, as an opportunity for introspection and improvisation.
As an actor she is inspired by the work of Pankaj Kapoor. She also adds that she would want to play the role of a murderer in a murder mystery. In leisure she enjoys listening to music, practicing new tunes on her ukulele, watching movies and writing. She always knew she was meant for a creative field like this and cannot adapt herself to the 9 to 5 schedule of MNC jobs. No wonder, she courageously left one such job within 12 days to pursue theatre.
“Jab yuddha nahi ho raha hota tab yuddha ki tayari ho rahi hoti hai”, Sonakshi tells quoting her father’s advice to which she abides by. She believes attaining one’s goal is a result of perseverant efforts. In dark times when you’re low you can always seek support from the close ones but life is about treading on, she believes.
For her acting is a revitalizing process, where every day you adapt to the new identities with different professions, learn new things to create your own distinct identity. Theatre is a reflection of society on a stage, metamorphosis in real life is helpful in the reel and the lessons of reel life are the crux of transformation in the real life, she implies.
