Sonal Chauhan has been associated with her debut film Jannat and her character Zoya for nearly two decades. But for the actor, being remembered as the "Jannat Girl" is not something she feels overshadows her work.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV's Hardika Gupta, Sonal said she continues to cherish the love she received for her first film and is now equally happy to see audiences associate her with her latest character, Mumtaz.
'I Love Being Called The Jannat Girl'
"I love being called the Jannat Girl. I think very few actors get what I got in my first film," Sonal told NDTV.
She added that even years after the film's release, being identified by her character or the film is something she considers special.
"Till today, I am called by my character's name, or I'm known as the Jannat Girl, and why would I mind it? I think it's just beautiful that in my first film, I got so much love that the audience is still not over it," she said.
Sonal, however, pointed out that there has been a shift in how audiences identify her. While she was earlier predominantly known as Zoya, she is now being called Mumtaz following her latest work in Mirzapur The Movie.
"After all these years, I would not have it any other way. I love being called the Jannat Girl, but what I'm really enjoying right now is that earlier, I used to be called Zoya and now everyone's calling me Mumtaz," she said.
'It's The Biggest Achievement'
For Sonal, being identified by a character's name is one of the biggest achievements for an actor because it means the audience has connected with the character rather than simply seeing the actor on screen.
"I think for an actor, it's the biggest achievement when they are being called by their character name, which means that I've done something right, that they're seeing me as a character and they are associating me with that name," she said.
On Her Equation With Emraan Hashmi
Sonal also spoke about her first co-star Emraan Hashmi, who has returned to the world of Awarapan with Awarapan 2, nearly two decades after the original film. She said she was particularly happy to see the actor receive the appreciation she believes he deserves.
"I'm so happy to see Emraan shine so bright like he truly deserves to. I've always said that he was one of the most underrated actors when I started working with him," Sonal said.
Reflecting on the beginning of their careers, she recalled believing that Emraan deserved greater recognition.
"At that time I always thought that he deserved a lot more and of course over the years he's achieved all of that, and I'm so happy that finally he's getting his due," she added.
"He's somebody who truly deserves the success. He's super talented, a really, really nice human being, very intelligent and most importantly, the audience loves him," she said.
Sonal also believes that the kind of films Emraan is known for occupy a space that is uniquely his.
"I wish to see him in more and more such films like Awarapan. Because I don't think anyone in the film industry currently can do what Emraan does. So, he truly owns that space, and he should just give his fans more of such films," she said.
On Possibility Of Jannat 3
The actor was also asked about the possibility of returning to the Jannat universe amid reports that Jannat 3 is being explored and that scripting is underway. Sonal clarified that she has not had any conversation regarding the project yet.
"As far as Jannat 3 is concerned, no, we haven't spoken about it," she said.
However, Sonal added that whenever the third installment does happen, she hopes it retains the special quality associated with the franchise.
"But I'm absolutely sure that whenever it happens... it'll be something beautiful and something magical because Jannat in itself is a very, very special film," she concluded.
