Believe it or not, braveheart Shatrughan Sinha has still been able to bring himself to watch his darling daughter Sonakshi's debut in Dabangg.

Like the father of a bride about to be married, he is just too tense and anxious to watch his daughter's maiden performance. Whenever there's a screening, Shatru is miraculously out of town traveling for work purposes. The most recent example of his conscious inability to watch Sonakshi's debut film was on Saturday when there was a special screening for the cast and crew and their family.

Mr. Sinha was conspicuous by his absence, leading to much speculation among a part of the team.

Finally when cornered with the charge that he is consciously avoiding his daughter's film the ever-candid Shatrughan Sinha admits he has indeed been avoiding eye contact with Sonakshi's on-screen debut. And that in fact he won't be in Mumbai for the Dabangg premiere on Thursday either.

Says Sinha, "You tell me, which father would not be nervous and tense when his daughter is stepping into a new phase in her life. People say Sonakshi has my confidence on screen. That makes me really proud. But I don't want to make her self conscious. I've seen bits and pieces of the film with her. And I couldn't control my tears."

The anxious father would rather watch the film after the verdict on his daughter is out on Friday. "Let the world see her first. I'd rather go after I know she's been accepted."

In the meantime, Sonakshi's proposed trip to Patna with Salman has been cancelled. Explains Shatrughan Sinha, "Bihar was declared a drought-stricken area. Now it's declared a flooded area. Either way, we were advised not to appear in Bihar in a celebratory mood. Sonakshi will be in Bihar with Salman later."

-- Subhash K Jha / Sampurn Wire