I get so much more time to paint, work out, spend time with my family and friends, to travel—I think all these experiences to feed the soul, so that you can work better.Despite having run across town for promotional events, Sonakshi Sinha looked the very picture of poise as she walked into The Asian Age office for a quick chat. Murugadoss, the director of her latest flick, Akira.

A. But then, my dad is like my biggest fan; he loves everything that I do (laughs). I’ve done four films with out action director, Anal Arasu — Dabangg 2, Rowdy Rathore, Holiday, and now, Akira; and this time he was directing me for action.What did your parents think of Akira My dad loved the film so much that he’s watching it again today. For instance, we thought we’d put more kajal to make her eyes more prominent. So, he was also very happy with the way it turned out. What was it like doing stunts for the first time Sonakshi: It was quite exciting doing these stunts, flying kicks and all of that.R. Sonakshi, how much time did it take you to prepare for the film Sonakshi: I started training around four months before the film. We tried two-three looks and then we all liked one final look. And I’m happy to be a part of that now.Would you go back to a Dabangg I love watching those kinds of films; they’re very entertaining. My mom was also there she loved it. I feel like I’ve tasted blood with Akira and I just want to sink my teeth into roles like this. Because he is a director I have worked with in the past, I knew that he knows exactly what he’s doing and he does it so well, so interestingly that we have a great film on our hands. You also have quite a meaty role in the upcoming film Noor Sonakshi: With Akira, I made a promise to myself that I want to do roles that challenge me in some way or the other. Whether it’s a role like Akira or playing a RAW agent in Force 2 or Noor.

There are fight sequences where she takes on five guys at once, and it might have seemed too far-fetched, if not for her acting skills.AR, how did you sketch her look for Akira Murugadoss: We did a look test. I love the song, and I love the dance. Actually, I had to ask them to push it a little further by a month or two because I wanted to prepare thoroughly before I got into this role, thanks to the kind of action there is in the movie. In a film like Akira, you are the hero, you’re the heroine; the first time the script came to you, did you think it’s a role that one really looks forward to Sonakshi: Honestly, yeah. The thing about sir’s movies is that they are entertaining, hard-hitting and at the same time, they carry a message as well. Other than that, we are not really that similar. I am very happy that there’s this shift in the kind of films being made while keeping women in mind, giving them really good roles. Are you going to continue to do multiple films at the same time Sonakshi: With Akira, I decided that I want to concentrate on one film at a time and I’m taking that forward. Murugadoss: Only the climax; two or three shots.What do you and Akira have in common Sonakshi: The fact that we are both very strong-willed women is something that Akira and I have in common.’ Luckily, that’s the feedback I got from the trailer and I was like all my hard work has paid off. So, I’m okay with the juggle. No matter what situation life throws at you, you should be strong enough to fight back and pull yourself out of it. There was a point of time that I was doing two, three films at the same time, so while I was doing Lootera, I was also shooting for Rowdy Rathore and Son of Sardaar. Learning something new and applying it is a good feeling.. Working with a director like A. It’s such a challenging role and when a director like him shows that kind of faith in me — especially when he hasn’t made a film with a female protagonist before — I jumped for it. For me, the real challenge was to portray a character who has been through so much struggle in life that, probably, you and I cannot even imagine going through. At that time I thought we should do something —I wanted to give her a heavy character, a very good character that was equivalent to a hero. At first, I thought of making the film with a male protagonist, but then I thought, why don’t we make it woman-centric All the emotional scenes feel different when a male is playing it and when a female is — the emotions are heightened when a woman plays it. The kind of action in the film that you do, there is so much of violence in your action scenes. I wanted it to look convincing, I wanted it to look like ‘okay, this looks real. In this film, I think there’s a very strong message of making yourself so strong that you don’t have to depend on anyone else to help you. No 20-day roles anymore. really helped, because he makes you understand what that girl is supposed to be feeling at that point of time, the back-story, what happens later, all of that. But even if I were to do another Dabangg, I would want my role to be something that would satisfy me in terms of creativity. The duo talked to us about Sonakshi’s rigorous training, their equation and making women-centric movies.R. And honestly, it was. With her, did you have to tone down the bloodshed Was there a plan like that Sonakshi: There actually wasn’t any bloodshed. Otherwise the rest has a lot of action, but not much bloodshed. When playing a character like Akira, she needed to make it believable. But you know what kept me going was that I used to keep telling myself to just pull through, and that this was going to be worth it.Sonakshi, did you feel the strain of doing this kind of an action-packed movie Sonakshi: Every day I used to wake up sore; I used to be tired from the training. The high action movie is Sonakshi’s determined step outside of the comfort zone of masala films and is right up Murugadoss’ alley. Then after Holiday released, I received the script for Akira. Before that, Sonakshi had cut her hair. So, that message, I think will go across very strongly to girls, to women, event to kids. Do you feel that a part of Akira is still stuck with you Sonakshi: Not at all, I don’t take my work home and that’s the thing with me, I switch on and off from my characters very easily. And then suddenly Sonakshi came to mind and I was sure that only she could pull it off. I strongly believe, that, more than anything, we should work towards gender equality.What are your views on feminism and do you think that this film portrays it Sonakshi: I believe in equality more than anything; I don’t believe in bashing up the other gender because of who they are. My Dust suppression resin dad was shocked, he said, even he hasn’t worked so hard for a role. And while shooting, I was training throughout as well., how did you pick Sonakshi for the film Murugadoss: Sonakshi had given me a DVD of Lootera, and after I watched it, I really realised her value as an actor.R. The actress was accompanied by A. We totally changed the body language, dialogue delivery; everything is different from her other films.

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Only the Baleno and the Brezza get Apple CarPlay though, which is rather surprising as the Ciaz is the most expensive car here.39kmpl while the Brezza is just a nudge behind at 24.3kmpl.Which one would give me the best driving pleasure Ok, now we admit that this question is not one that we get asked often, but for the sake of being thorough, we have decided to add this in as well. And it gets a beige interior package with leather seats. In the following article, we try to help our readers choose between the three cars, based on their specific needs.

What about engines China dust suppression resin Suppliers and fuel economy The Baleno and the Ciaz are available both with petrol and diesel engines. If you are a middle aged or older person who just wants a comfortable chauffeur-driven car, just go and buy the Ciaz – we guarantee that it will not disappoint you. The Brezza is the mid-fielder of the lot here and offers a good blend of everything but when driven back to back with the Baleno, the difference is very obvious. The next best in terms of driving dynamics has to be the Brezza.As automotive journalists, we often come across people who are ready to shell out Rs 10-12 lakh to buy a new set of wheels, but are in a fix as to which car would cater to their needs in the price range they have selected. That leaves the Vitara Brezza and the Baleno.But, the overall winner of this comparison review has to be the Baleno, which is priced the cheapest of the lot at Rs 7. It is not that it isn’t as quick as the Brezza or isn’t fun to drive, it just prefers to waft about and do its job of transporting people from point A to B quietly rather than be shouty about it. The lighter Baleno of course is the second most fuel efficient at 27. We also find that, despite being unaware of the category in which the car falls, most people tend to veer towards a Maruti Suzuki. Not only does the Brezza have less leg space than the Baleno at the rear, it is also much stiffer than the Baleno, which in turn makes it less comfortable for passengers.And it is more fun to drive too. That said, the Baleno at 980kgs weighs considerably less than the Brezza(1195kg) and the Ciaz(1130kg).

The Baleno is a lot more spacious and the ride quality genuinely surprised us. In fact, it is the ideal car for the young-at-heart professional or family man/woman who prefers a hatchback but still wants something a little more premium. In fact, everything here gets a set of 16-inch wheels.The Baleno also has the same chrome problem, especially on the top of the line variant we have here. The white paint on this one here might look drab and slightly boring, but get a bright blue or a red and you are bound to turn heads. As a bonus, you also get the road presence that SUVs offer, which on Indian roads could mean a lot. As I just mentioned, it does look cool when in the right colour (grey or black) and it is the largest car of the lot. Combine the engine with the fact that you feel a little more comfortable driving it fast (as you have a more commanding view of the road), the Brezza might not be as quick as the Baleno but it is just about as much fun. Now we know that you will have to drive really tactfully to get anywhere remotely close to these figures, but getting close to 20kmpl on the highway is easy for all the three cars we have here today. The more time I spend with the Baleno, the more I prefer it over the Brezza, and that is high praise. Yes, it does have a slightly smaller boot than the Brezza, but it does everything else a lot better than either of the two cars.Let’s start with the Ciaz. That said, it does not bottom out like other softly sprung cars in its segment either. And this is where it gets difficult. I love the wheels that the Ciaz gets and I personally think that they are the best wheels on a Maruti Suzuki car since the 2002 Zen Carbon. The Ciaz is also the most spacious at the front and at the rear. But spending a good three days with the three cars, I did start to incline towards the Baleno (especially since it wore that lovely red colour). Which looks the best Looks are subjective. That said, if I had to choose one I would still choose the Brezza as, all said and done, the road presence it brings to the table is unmatched. Therefore, all these three here are diesel powered.Comparatively, the Ciaz is the most laidback of the lot. It handles the best (by a long margin), has the best response and you genuinely do not feel tired after even five or six hours of driving as the car always feels really quick on its feet. In fact, we would even go to the extent of saying that the Baleno is the best car that Maruti Suzuki makes today. While some of our dear readers might prefer the Baleno for its European design, some might prefer the Brezza for its chunky looks and some might prefer the Ciaz for being classy and understated yet very cool. Now, no, it isn’t as soft and comfortable as the Ciaz, but it genuinely isn’t far behind. That said, I have never been a fan of all the chrome and the overall design too reminds me of other cars in the segment, which is a bit of a turn off.com. All three cars get projector headlamps but only the Brezza and the Baleno get a set of LED daytime running lights. The Brezza also gets additional features like automatic wipers and cruise control.Which car has the best features The Brezza, Ciaz and the Baleno are very very closely matched when it comes to features and gadgets. The Baleno’s dashboard is also far better designed than the Brezza and the Ciaz and would definitely appeal a lot more to younger audiences. Although the wheels could have been better, you at least do get a set of 16s on the top of the line variant. This is also why the Ciaz is the most fuel efficient of the lot, at a really impressive 28. The Brezza, Baleno and Ciaz all get the same touchscreen infotainment package which supports navigation, Bluetooth telephony (and audio streaming) and of course, a USB plug-in. And if I really had to nitpick, I would have made the daytime running lights a little brighter. This brings us to the newest cars from the Maruti Suzuki stable – the Ciaz, the Baleno and the Vitara Brezza. If you work the gears well, there is instant power in every section of the rev-range and you can quickly get to triple digit speeds. That said, all cars have their positives and negatives so let us list them out for you. The Ciaz does get a leather interior option on the top of the line variant that the Baleno and the Brezza lack. It is a mixture of the two above, along with the likes of engine response, transmission and clutch effort, and whether or not a car tends to make you feel tired after a long drive. But what if you are one of the hundreds of people who ask us what to buy and actually want to drive the car yourself The Ciaz is the most expensive at Rs 10. Driving pleasure is not just how good the car handles or how well the steering feel is.3-litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged DDiS engine.The Baleno and the Brezza are both sub 4-metre and, being a SUV, you would naturally expect the Brezza to be more spacious and more comfortable than the Baleno, right It is not. The Vitara Brezza on the other hand is only available with a diesel engine.78 lakh. And this is justified as well – with the largest dealership and after-sales service network in the country, Maruti Suzuki gives you a (mostly) hassle-free ownership experience.Source: CarDekho. The chrome strip on the boot and the chrome door handles look really out of place on such a well designed car and are just way too bling-y for my taste. I also personally think that although well styled, the Brezza does tend to look a little simple when put next to the likes of the Baleno. It is by far the most comfortable car in the lot here as it has the softest suspension setup of the three. The Ciaz and the Brezza get a standard set of tail lamps while the Baleno gets LED tail lamps. The Ciaz, on the other hand, does show its size and even though it is comfortable, it does not impart the same driving pleasure as the Baleno or Brezza. So the Ciaz might have won this but the Baleno comes in second with the Brezza trailing a close third.When it comes to the interior all three cars get steering-mounted audio and phone controls, a starter button with keyless entry, and an auto-dimming rear view mirror. Let’s start with the exterior.If we take all these into consideration the Baleno truly thrashes the Ciaz and is a tad better than the Brezza.54 lakh and comes in at third place in our comparison.Now, the Brezza is the safest approach to design I have seen Maruti do in a while and yet it does seem to stand out really well against its peers.09kmpl according to ARAI figures. As much as we personally like cars with black interiors, beige does make the cabin look a lot brighter and a lot more inviting to the average Indian customer.78 lakh, making it great value for money.So which one should I buy This is by far the most difficult comparison test we have done as there are three different cars that do a whole bunch of things really really well. The Ciaz, on the other hand, although really sleek does look cool in the correct colour but, personally, does little to excite me. Not only will the Baleno get off the line a lot faster, it will keep pulling away from the Brezza and the Ciaz. The likes of the Swift have always been a ton of fun to drive and the Baleno takes it to the next level. And of course, all three get the exact same 1. If you prefer a slightly larger looking vehicle and you do have to travel over consistently bad roads (or you drive in a city where the roads occasionally seem to disappear), you should get the Brezza. The Brezza and the Ciaz get the more powerful 90PS/200Nm tune whereas the Baleno gets the slightly less 75PS/190Nm state of tune. So, the Brezza is the most loaded in terms of tech and gadgets and wins this segment but the Baleno is a very close second place. Which one do I prefer Well, when it came time to choose between the three on the first day, I lunged at the Vitara Brezza keys since I have always been a bit of an SUV fan.I like SUVs and the top of the line Brezza comes in at a relatively affordable Rs 9. All three cars come with a set of 16-inch alloy wheels on the top of the line variant (we prefer the ones on the Ciaz the most). And that brings us to the Brezza. Our standard response is to ask them whether they want to purchase a hatchback, a sedan or an SUV. So now that the winner of this category is out of the way, let us talk about the other two. If all you want from your Rs 10-12 lakh Maruti is comfort, buy a Ciaz. But I love the euro design that the car gets and specially like the headlamp cluster with the great daytime running light LEDs.Which is the most comfortable The answer to this question is actually quite simple.

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