'Khandaani Shafakhana' addresses stigma around sex says Sonakshi Sinha

Sonakshi Sinha says she was surprised to be approached for a bold subject like Khandani Shafakhana, which revolves around a woman running a sex clinic, as she has mostly done family friendly roles. But the actor took the challenge head-on as she realised the film gave her an opportunity to explore stereotypes attached to sex and how small town India perceives the subject.

It is also a refreshing change to see a female protagonist leading the film as such stories as previous films were led by male actors in the past, she added.

"In the film, my character struggles to thwart the social stigma and ignorance about sex in a small town. We have always had male protagonists in such films. I feel happy that I am the flag bearer in terms of the subject - running a sex clinic in a film," Sonakshi told PTI in an interview.

The actor said her fear went away after she read the script and got to know that a female director, Shilpi Dasgupta, will be at the helm.                      

"It is not a story one would imagine me doing. If somebody gave your the one-liner of the story, you would think about five other actors but not me. That's how I also reacted to the story but the script was great.

"It is being directed by a woman who has brought such sensitivity to the topic that it would make everyone feel comfortable," the 32-year-old actor added.

There is a lot of awkwardness about women talking about sex but Sonakshi believes this mindset is incorrect.        

"It is so wrong. Why should something be okay for Peter and not for Paul. We were both put on this planet with equal capacity. I am happy that films like that are being made.

"If you have a fever, you go to a doctor and not shy about it but when people have a sexual disorder, it's all done in a hush-hush tone. Nobody goes to a clinic or talks about it. Sex is the most natural thing in the world. We are here today because of it so why don't we talk about it?"

According to Sonakshi, "Khandaani Shafakhana" also touches upon topics like gender equality but in a subtle way.

"In this film, we see that her own brother telling her that she cannot run the clinic because she is a woman. So it also talks about inequality," she added.

Despite revolving around a bold subject, the film is treated in such a way that a family audience can watch it, the actor said.

"I am still that Sonakshi Sinha who will only do family films. I am still that and I guarantee you, we will have the best family audience for this film. Everybody needs to see this film because it's not only entertaining, it's informative too. There is nothing  vulgar about it."

The film that marks the acting debut of rapper Badshah and also features Varun Sharma and Annu Kapoor.

Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Mahaveer Jain, Mrighdeep Singh Lamba and Divya Khosla Kumar, the film is slated for release on August 2.