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I've a man's ego in a lot of ways: Sonam Kapoor
Although she comes from a film family, Sonam Kapoor is determined to make her own identity without any help from her actor-filmmaker father Anil Kapoor as she feels that scope for growth under a banyan tree is bleak.
"I feel there's very little that can grow under a banyan tree. So, I have tried to create my own path and I have very successfully done it - whether it's through my fashion or movies I choose," said the 28-year-old in a group interview.
In her six years in the industry, with 11 films and hits like Raanjhanaa to her credit, Sonam has avoided taking a piggy-back ride on her dad's strong shoulders.
"Very thoughtfully I tried not to do much with my father. It's a very selfish decision, as I just wanted my own identity. So even when Aisha was produced, my sister (Rhea) produced it. It was her first film. I never asked my father to do this for me. I think I have a man's ego in a lot of ways," she said.
"And also, I don't want to take away his hard work. If I don't do well and he has put in his money or name on me, then 40 years of his hard work goes down the drain because his daughter is a disappointment. So, I would rather fall down on my own and I don't want to take my dad with me," she added.
From her 2006 debut film Saawariya to subsequent releases Delhi-6, Players and Mausam -- all were box office disappointments. She says she was too young to understand a few things in the past.
"I realised that because of my glamorous image and being a fashion icon, I don't need to do films to add star value to myself. I was too young to understand that back then, but I am old enough and now understand that because of my image I can get away with doing more real films. But that doesn't mean I am only doing Raanjhanaa' or Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, in which I am playing a quintessential rooted Indian girl."
She was seen as a high society fashionista in Aisha and as an uptown girl in I Hate Luv Storys, which didn't garner enough success at the box office. Once again she will be seen as a modern girl in Yash Raj Films' project.
"There is this film with Yash Raj, in which I am playing a modern girl from Gurgaon. She is a banker. So, I really want to pick characters like young girls, cool, not-so-cool girls -- as long as they are real girls," she added.
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