Nearly a decade after his debut, Sonu Sood made his presence felt in Bollywood with Dabangg (2010). Now, he calls his upcoming film Maximum ‘special’ adding, “I wanted to play a character who expressed himself with his eyes.”

Does he want to play leading roles now? “I do enjoy that space and I would like to do hero-oriented films. However, my roles in Dabangg, Bbuddah… Hoga Terra Baap (2011) and Jodhaa Akbar (2008) have been important parts too.”

Sonu recalls that he entered the industry with the dream of becoming a star, “but without a godfather it is tough here. It took me 10 years to prove myself but now my day has come. People take me seriously, write roles for me and consider me for ‘hero’ roles, which I deserve.”

Like most actors, Sonu has given his creative inputs for Maximum. Since there were no songs in the film, Sonu asked director Kabeer Kaushik to add two numbers. At his behest, the southern hit item song ‘Aa ante’ was recorded in Hindi and picturised on actor Hazel, and it is making waves right now.

“I heard the other song ‘Mankunto maula’ by Pakistani band Raga Boyz three weeks ago and spoke to Kabeer immediately. It talks about connecting with God, which is the theme of our film,” says Sonu.

Sonu adds, “Kabeer told me I am following your gut. I know songs add value to a film and thankfully people are loving both of them.” As for the box office, he claims that he can’t predict the outcome but hopes that “people will remember Maximum for years as it is a gripping story.”