Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha's new movie Lootera is not raking in great numbers at the Indian box office but it has established her as a fine actress. Her sterling performance as Pakhi is one of the major highlights of the movie and she has impressed both critics and audience by her acting prowess. However, she was discouraged from taking-up this period-romance drama as there were apprehensions whether she will be able to do the role convincingly or not.

"After 'Dabangg,' people saw me in a particular kind of cinema. I heard comments like 'This is too early in your career,' 'You may not be able to pull it off' or 'You need to be mature for something like this.' I was irritated and decided to prove everyone wrong. I tried doing something experimental, and I am happy that I was able to carry it off," Sonakshi Sinha told news agency PTI.

The promising actress made her Bollywood debut with Dabangg, a Salman Khan movie and usually his movies do not have much scope for actresses to perform. She followed it up with hero-centric movies such as Rowdy Rathore, Son of Sardar and Dabangg 2. Like her debut movie, these movies also did not provide her an opportunity to showcase her talent. She was discussed more for her figure and forehead and less for her acting.

Calling Lootera her most challenging role till date, the actress said that "because the film is set in the 1950s, an era I know nothing about, I have just gone by pure instinct and Vikram's direction. He is a tremendous director; I could not have done it without him. I am so glad that the first opportunity I got to showcase my range as an actor was with Vikram."

The actress has often been ridiculed in the media and on social media for her weight but for her it's no longer an issue. "It is a non-issue to me. I am very happy doing work and lots of work - probably more than the 'skinny-minis.' I am going to take a stand in my life by not talking about it and not answering questions so that people stop writing about it."

"I like it when people talk about my work; that is what I am here for," the actress said.

At the Australian Box Office, Lootera collected A$ 39,078 in its opening weekend and at the Indian Box Office, the movie collected 15 crore (INR). The movie may struggle to recover its production cost.

The actress has a busy year ahead at the box office. There are three movies lined up for release, including Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara, Bullet Raja and Rambo Rajkumar.