I never stop myself from eating: Sonakshi Sinha

In this age of aspiration and conformity, Sonakshi Sinha has repeatedly swum against the tide. Her debut film Dabangg cast her as a small-town girl dressed in welldraped saris that complimented her curves. Heaped with praise and criticism in equal measure, she took it all in her stride and flounced to the next hit (Rowdy Rathore) and the next (Dabangg 2, R… Rajkumar). And then, when she felt it was time, she embraced fitness with a passion and continued to march to her own drumbeat.

The 28-year-old has shown extraordinary composure and maturity, having worked with leading stars such as Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Shahid Kapoor and Rajnikanth in just 5 years. Sonakshi is as much a poster girl for individuality as she is for reinvention and professionalism. And it's not just us saying this. Here, she tells us how she does it.

Love yourself more

It starts with accepting yourself. Like the way we approach other things positively, we need to do the same with ourselves. Most people only pick out their own flaws and imperfections and concentrate on those. That's not cool.

Embrace your imperfections

It's these that make us who we are, and we need to embrace them. If we don't love ourselves, how will others love us? I find flaws attractive; it makes a person more relatable because we all have them. Nobody's perfect.

Eat without guilt (but don't hurt your body)

This is the simplest thing to do. It's very important to be healthy and stay fit. Exhausting yourself just to become skinny can really take a toll on your body and mind. Unless, of course, it's natural to your lifestyle and your body can withstand it. A lot of people count calories and starve themselves. That's something I have never understood. I never stop myself from eating anything. Most days I stick to a healthy and balanced diet, but when I do feel like letting go (and there are times when I do) I make sure I put in an extra half hour at the gym to burn it off. Balance and moderation is the key to everything in life. Doing anything in excess is bad for you, and that includes excessive exercise and dieting. So eat healthy, but be balanced and treat yourself to something you crave every now and then. It won't kill you!

Move more

Being active in today's day and age has become so challenging owing to technology and having everything at our fingertips. I am glad I was a kid at a time when games were played outdoors and not on a gaming console. I really enjoy playing even today and I am a complete outdoors person. It's important to move more, and we can take some time out from the 24 hours that we have to do this for ourselves. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, play a sport like tennis or badminton for your cardio routine; swim; walk short distances or, better yet, cycle. There is so much that we can do in our everyday lives to be a little more active.

Turn your negative into positive

Surround yourself with people and things that make you happy. It gets you through the day with more smiles than frowns. I have always been a positive person, but there have been times when I have been down. Those times made me realise it is better to just block out the negative and be happy. I waste no time in throwing out bad energy if at all it is around me.

Give time to family and friends

My family and friends are my biggest support system. They know me and love me through everything. My job is physically and mentally draining and time consuming. It's amazing to have people who understand this, and I love coming home to them.

Sonakshi has taught me to be positive, to not take life so seriously and not to stress at all! Among my 3 kids, she is the least stressed out and is a very content child. What I admire the most in Sonakshi is her approach to work and life. She takes everything in her stride and is happy with what she is doing. Even when a role she was keen to play is offered to another artist, she does not whine or sulk. She keeps her chin up and looks forward to better things. I also admire her punctuality on the set because my husband (Shatrughan Sinha) was never on time. She's imbibed the values of punctuality from her paternal grandfather. Despite all the success and fame, Sonakshi is the same person-all her friends and even our neighbours agree. She's level-headed, but she's also a fighter and will go against every odd for what she believes in. She's got that from her father.

Amit Sharma: Director of Tevar on Sonakshi's professionalism

As an actor, Sonakshi is a true professional. She was always on the set when you needed her-vibrant and positive, sans any starry tantrums. Even on days when we were shooting outdoors, with crowds gathered and shouting out to her, she was unfazed. I really enjoyed working with her-she's truly a director's actor. If you give her a 100% brief, she brings 200% to the part. The best thing about a fine actor is his or her spontaneity. Some actors rehearse a lot and bring in method. But Sonakshi is spontaneous and natural. Even as a dancer, she is brilliant; and on the set, she's open to improvisation. Hardworking and instinctive, Sonakshi is a quick learner, and an absolute delight to work with.

I love and admire Sonakshi's confidence-it is unshaken, no matter what the critics or the world says! She has a strong sense of self and has accepted that her body is unique; she loves and enjoys it! Her confidence is evident when she goes up on stage and sings her heart out or in the way she carries off an androgynous look! She enjoys the moment. She is instinctive and spontaneous, a regular Mumbai girl- empowered and confident.