Nine years ago, Sonakshi Sinha burst on the Bollywood scene with Dabangg. While it is widely known that her co-star and family friend Salman Khan gave her the first big break, she revealed in a recent interview that she had “no choice” but to do the film.

After the success of her debut film, Sonakshi was loved by the masses, particularly the family audience for her onscreen image. She revealed that several people came up to her and told her that they want a daughter-in-law just like her. “I couldn’t be luckier, my debut film made me a hit with the family audience. Many tell me they want a bahu like me. It’s embarrassing but sweet too,” she said.

Sonakshi, the daughter of actors Shatrughan Sinha and Poonam Sinha, began her career as a costume designer. “Acting was never on the cards. One day, I was just told there was this film I was suited for and I was doing it. Nobody asked me, I literally had no choice,” she told Mumbai Mirror in an interview.

Currently, Sonakshi is gearing up for the release of the third instalment of the Dabangg franchise, which is directed by Prabhudeva. While Salman is returning as the much-loved Chulbul Pandey, she will reprise her role as Rajjo.

Veteran actor Mahesh Manjrekar’s daughter Saiee Manjrekar will make her foray into Bollywood with Dabangg 3, which is a prequel to the earlier Dabangg films. Sonakshi said that the two ladies will share screen space in the film. “The franchise is 10 years older, but we are all a little younger because it’s a prequel. It took us seven years to come up with something new and interesting,” she said.