Punit & I will always be friends:Sonam

Written By Rahul NandaPosted Thu, Jun 6, 2013

Rated

I didn't slow down, I stopped. Raanjhanaa is my first film in a year and a half. Actually six months before Players released, I had stopped shooting. So technically, I didn't shoot for a year. I was in talks with some of the biggest directors but I was trying to find the right project. I have never thought about the prospects of a movie. I always see if I want to play the character that is being offered to me. Hit or flop doesn't matter; what matters is whether I enjoy playing the character. I ask myself, will I learn and grow as an actor by playing this particular role? It was after doing Thank You, Mausam and Players that I realised I had to take a break and reevaluate where I wanted my life to go. I had also hit my mid-20s by then and realised that I needed to be proud of the stuff that I'd done. So I took my time to zero in on Raanjhanaa. When you've been in the industry for a while and you start doing well, like I did with Delhi-6, I Hate Luv Storys and Aisha, you're bound to be on a high. So I went on a signing spree and there were all these big filmmakers who wanted to sign me. Everyone was telling me I'd be the number one heroine and I'd signed up with the biggest banners. I got swayed by it. Now I might be doing the biggest films but I'm doing films that make me happy. Also, I want to do just one thing at a time. So I finished Raanjhnaa and then started Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and now I'm doing Nupur Asthana's untitled YRF film.

I have three films for sure. Hopefully, I will have a fourth, Khoobsurat. That depends on the distributors and if they want it to release this year. It will definitely be ready by year end though.

I had met Aanand L Rai (director) and Himanshu Sharma (writer) for Tanu Weds Manu. But because of my dates and other issues, I didn't end up doing the film. Then they came back to me with Raanjhanaa. I had liked Tanu Weds Manu and I wanted to work with Aanand. I fell in love with this beautiful character he had created for me in Raanjhanaa. The story is about two characters who love each other passionately. But they're really messed up in the way they love. And that's how love is. It's messy and it doesn't always get tied up in a neat bow. I liked how real Aanand had made this love story.

That is another thing I decided when I took some time off. I don't care who my lead actor is. Even when I started out, I didn't see who was opposite me. When I did I Hate Luv Storys or Aisha, Imran Khan and Abhay Deol weren't big stars like they have become now. So I've decided never to choose a project because of the hero or the director but because of how I feel about it. It'll be a cherry on the cake if I get films with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan or Aamir Khan. But in the next century, when Indian cinema completes 200 years, I want to be remembered for the work I've done. I don't want to be another actress who came and worked here. I want to be driven by passion and by art and not the commerce.

Abhay had a problem with dad (Anil Kapoor), not me. If you ask Abhay, he'll tell you the same thing. Even when we're not shooting on set, we spend all our time together. We have similar interests. Plus people love us together. People love our chemistry. I crack up on Abhay's off-kilter humour when he jokes that Aisha and Arjun have gone from Def Col in Aisha to JNU in Raanjhanaa.

I was in talks with Aditya Chopra for a long time. He offered this film to me. It's a film written by Habib Faisal. Also, I've always loved the way YRF functions and I wanted to do a film with them for a while now. YRF is there to make movies and not just fancy proposals. Adi takes risks with the people he casts and gets it bang on. They know what they are doing unlike others. He has launched the next generation of actors in our country. Two of my brothers, Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor, have been launched by him.

(Laughs) All these newcomers I'm working with are older than me. Dhanush has been working for far longer than I have. He has won the National Award and the Filmfare Award down South a few times. Also, Ayushmann has been around for almost 10 years with Roadies and TV shows. Television has a vast reach. In the audiences perception, both Ayushmann and Dhanush are relatively new in films. I'm not over exposed like many others and I work with new faces. I don't go out too much. Neither am I seen at the usual film parties, nor on the Page 3 circuit.

What is the big deal about wearing a bikini? This is what I find so unfortunate in our country. This is why we are seeing so many rapes and other disgusting incidents. See, if I'm going to go on a beach, I'm not going to wear a burkha, I'll wear a swimsuit. Why should I scream and shout about it even if I am? I wore a swimsuit for the Filmfare shoot as well. It's an outfit! If you're comfortable, you'll wear it especially if the place you're wearing it at is apt.

Well, both Rajshree and Nupur are extremely different. Rajshree and I had a few hiccups while working on Aisha but with Nupur there is no such thing. I feel more protected with Nupur. Women are more sensitive and Nupur understands me well. In fact, my cinematographer is also a lady, Neha Parthi. Poor Ayushmann is the only guy when we three girls are discussing stuff. What I love about Nupur is that she is still such a girl. I know so many women who start acting like men when in a position of power. That's not the case with Nupur. She loves make-up and clothes. Also women have an emotional quotient, which is wonderful.

You'll have to ask Rakeysh Mehra about that. He tells me I am a dream and an inspiration for him. People have been asking me why I bothered doing the film. Because it looks like a Farhan Akthar film all the way. I say, 'Because it's Rakeysh Mehra.' I'll do anything for Rakeysh. The script is amazing too. I think this film will go down in history and I want to be part of that. The character I play drives Milkha Singh to become what he is. She is the inspiration and reason he becomes what he does. BMB even has the same team as Delhi-6. While shooting for Delhi-6, I discovered myself and who I really was. This is my way of giving something back to the team. I owe them that.

It is not exactly a remake. I wanted to work with Shashank Ghosh for a while. I am a huge fan of his work Quick Gun Murugan and Waisa Bhi Hota Hai: Part 2. He started making these 'hatke' films before everyone else. So I knew he would take a Hrishikesh Mukherjee film and give it an amazing twist. So what Shashank has done is, he has taken the sprite that was Rekha in Khoobsurat and put her in a new environment. The story is totally different.

I want to work with Abhishek in every film but the question is, does he want to work in every film with me? It depends on Shashank now and who he wants to cast. We have changed Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Khoobsurat and made it into a love story. The lead male character has more to do in this film, unlike in the original.

You know I don't speak about my personal life. All I can say is that Punit and I have been friends and will always remains friends.