Sonakshi Sinha reveals how Salman Khan spotted her potential; 'Salim Khan Saab would say, stop wasting your time'

Sonakshi Sinha, who made a stunning Bollywood debut opposite Salman Khan in Dabangg (2010), recently opened up about how she never intended to become an actor. Speaking on Ranveer Allahabadia’s podcast, the actress confessed that acting wasn’t part of her original plans. “I was never inclined. Salim Khan Saab and my father are very close friends. We would go to Galaxy Apartments for Ganpati, Diwali and all. At the age of 16, Salim Saab would say, 'Why are you doing fashion designing? Stop wasting your time. Just become an actor.' I was overweight then. He used to keep lecturing me,” Sonakshi revealed.She further recalled volunteering at a fashion week event during her college days, where she earned Rs 3,000. “Salman, Arbaaz and family came there, and they saw me. They were like, 'What are you doing here?' Salman even asked me to take him out for dinner with my first salary. I was like it is impossible,” she shared with a laugh.Sonakshi shared that her transformation led to her first big break. “I lost weight and attended Amrita Arora's wedding. Arbaaz Bhai saw me there and offered me a film. I didn't take him seriously at that time. But he reached my home with Abhinav Kashyap and Dilip Shukla. They narrated the film to me. They shook hands, smiled and left. Nobody asked me if I want to do this film or not,” she said.Reflecting on her 15-year-long career, Sonakshi believes destiny played a major role. “The next thing I know, I am on set. I really believe in destiny. After reaching the set, I understood that this is where I belong,” the actress shared. Coming to the present, Sonakshi is all set for her Telugu debut with 'Jatadhara'.