Sonu Sood has come a long way from making his debut in a Tamil movie in 1999 to working opposite Jackie Chan in his latest film, and the actor says one requires to be strong to survive in the industry.
Sonu featured in several south Indian films before appearing in Hindi movie "Shaheed-E-Azam". He got recognition as Abhishek Bachchan's brother in Mani Ratnam's "Yuva".
"To get good roles and good films is difficult for an outsider," Sonu said, when quizzed about the challenges that an outsider faces.
"To survive here physically, mentally is not easy.
Because you don't know anyone here, everything is new to you.
You just have to keep on. It is like staying underwater. How long you can hold your breath is important," the actor told PTI in an interview.
Sonu, whose lead antagonist turn in Abhinav Kashyap's "Dabangg" opposite Salman Khan brought him several accolades, says he had the blessings of his parents to survive here.
"It is maddening, it is crazy but I think it also then makes you tougher. It makes you feel you are a survivor. I had blessings of my parents with me to reach where I am," he said.
The 43-year-old actor is currently gearing up for the release of his latest film "Kung Fu Yoga", which features him opposite Jackie Chan. The 62-year-old international star recently visited India as part of the film's promotions.
"When I got Jackie here, I said give those ten-twelve hours to me, I'll give you the most memorable trip of your life. We were running around, promoting the film all over.
"When he was leaving, he held my hands and said 'Thank you so much'. He throughly enjoyed the trip and was very happy with his experience here," the actor said.
Sonu's biggest take away working with Chan was the dedication that the latter puts in his craft despite all odds.
"He is very dedicated. Sometimes he might say his legs, hands are paining but as soon as the camera rolls, he is jumping from one corner to another, performing all the stunts.
That's what he is. An unbeatable guy who never gets tired. The love for cinema and his craft is what I learnt from him," he said.
Directed by Stanley Tong, the multi-lingual action-adventure comedy film is scheduled to release on February 3. The film also stars Bollywood actress Disha Patani and Amyra Dastur.
