People get defensive when presented with hard facts, says Sonakshi Sinha

There is something wrong with the population explosion in India and “Khandaani Shafakhana” tries to raise awareness about it, says actor Sonakshi Sinha.

The actor believes that films hold a mirror to the society, but mere facts are not enough to convince people.

“The human nature is such that if you attack someone with facts head on, and show them what is wrong, they always get defensive. But when you say it in a light-hearted way, and lace it with humour, I think they are more receptive.

“They will understand what you’re trying to say and this is what we’ve done with this film as well. I think the kind of topic that it touches upon, it required a certain humour to it for people to kind of understand and start thinking about what we’re trying to say,” she told PTI in an interview.

Lack of sex education among the general masses is the issue that “Khandaani Shafakhana”, which hits the theatres on Friday, tries to highlight.

Sonakshi plays a young woman, named Baby Bedi, who inherits a sex clinic run by her uncle. She decides to use this opportunity to bring about a change in the society.

She says the film is a step in the right direction.

“It is something that will get people to think for sure because we are stating facts about what is happening in society. Nobody’s asking the right questions like why is it (population burst) happening?

“We live in a country of over 130 crore people. Where did all these people come from? And so there are a lot of relevant and important topics that we are talking about in this film,” the actor adds.

Though she considers the part of Baby Bedi one of her “best roles” till date, the actor admits that her first reaction when the makers approached her was one of disbelief.

“My first reaction when they approached me with the role was that ‘Oh, my God, why these guys have come to me with this film?’. But when I read the script, I was sold on the idea. I believe in the things that we are talking about in this film,” she adds.

The film is directed by first time filmmaker Shilpi Dasgupta and Sonakshi says only a female perspective could have done justice to the subject.

“I’m really glad that I got to work with her. The kind of film that it is, and the kind of sensitivity it required, I don’t think anybody could have made this film better than Shilpi. She just handled it with utmost care. There is a very thin line between a subject like this becoming cheap or vulgar. But she handled it beautifully.”

Post “Khandaani Shafakhana”, Sonakshi will be seen in “Mission Mangal” where she is a part of an ensemble cast that includes Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Nithya Menen and Akshay Kumar.

The film’s poster, which released last month, was criticised for giving Akshay a bigger display than his women colleagues.

Sonakshi says no one can deny that Akshay is a superstar but the rest of the team is equally proud of the project, which highlights India’s space achievement.

“Honestly, the fact of the matter is that Akshay Kumar is a big superstar today. And I learned very early on in my career, ‘jo dikhta hai, wo bikta hai’. So that is the most direct comparison I can make to what has happened over here. But I think for all of us, we are all part of one team and really proud of the film,” she adds.

“Mission Mangal”, directed by Jagan Shakti, will hit the theatres on Independence Day.