Sonakshi Sinha's 'Dabangg' Revelation: Actress Initially Rejected Role Alongside Salman Khan

Sonakshi Sinha made her big Bollywood debut with Salman Khan’s blockbuster film ‘Dabangg’. The film, released in September 2010, completes 15 years of release today and made Sonakshi an instant star, especially with her famous dialogue, “Thappad se darr nahi lagta Sahab, pyaar se lagta hai.”On the milestone anniversary of ‘Dabangg’, the actress looked back and shared some funny and heartwarming stories from her debut, giving fans a glimpse of her early days in Bollywood.In an interview with NDTV, Sonakshi revealed that her partner Zaheer Iqbal has still not watched ‘Dabangg’ even after 15 years. Known to be a prankster, Zaheer said, “Dabangg is the only Salman Khan film he has not watched.”Sonakshi laughed as she teased him, saying, “Zaheer, at that point when we met, he had not actually seen Dabangg. One second. Zaheer, have you watched Dabangg? You've still not seen it? He's still not seen it. Shame on you. He's saying Dabangg is the only Salman Khan film he has not watched, but he attended the premiere.”Sinha’s first scene in Bollywood was very emotional. She had to cry when she saw her brother almost dying in the hospital. She said, “Oh God, my first scene was actually a very intense crying scene where my brother's in the hospital bed, almost dying, and I walked into the room and I saw him and I broke down. I joked and was like You didn't have anything else that you all could have made me start with.” Starting her career with such an intense scene made the experience unforgettable.Sonakshi admitted that she was shocked when Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan approached her for ‘Dabangg’. She explained, “My first reaction was, are you guys crazy? Like, what are you thinking? I had that comfort with them because our families have known each other. And so I was very blunt about it. I asked, What do you see in me right now? I told them I have no interest in being a part of your movie.”She further added, " But they said that the character requires somebody who looks exactly like you. We want an Indian face. We want an Indian beauty. And now that you've lost all the weight, you're just perfect for the role. So they didn't even ask me. I actually had no say.”