Originally posted by: chocolatewaferr
OUCH!
Manavi Kapur| Mar 22, 2014
Last Updated at 12:12 AM IST
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</h2><h2>The woman who makes acting seem so difficult</h2>
Being a style diva is fine, but will someone tell her that films are also about acting?
A
few days ago, I was running late for Kangana Ranaut's Queen and hurried
to find my seat in the movie hall. The film hadn't begun yet, since the
trailer for Bewakoofiyaan seemed to be playing. Thirty seconds later I
realised that I was in the wrong multiplex screen - the Sonam Kapoor
film was actually playing to an almost-empty hall, less than a week
after its release. As I exited the theatre, I realised this was another
Sonam film I had left midway. Her only film I have sat through is Delhi
6: that's because I dozed off soon after the film started.
Delhi
6, directed by Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra, tanked but critics complimented
Kapoor, the short role notwithstanding. Rajeev Masand called her "a
firecracker performer, instinctive and uninhibited in what isn't even a
conventional female lead", while Anupama Chopra said: "The lovely Sonam
imbues her [the character] with grace and attitude". Shubra Gupta,
writing for The Indian Express, complained that Kapoor wasn't on screen
as much as she would have liked her to be. "You wish Mehra hadn't
shortchanged the refreshingly natural Sonam, who is all girl: she
deserved much more screen time".
Her next big film was I Hate Luv
Stories with Imran Khan (parachuted into stardom by his uncle, Aamir
Khan). From the trailers, it looked like an extra-sweet, brain-dead
rom-com from Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. The film bombed. Critics'
adulation for Kapoor began to wane. For her portrayal of a girly,
love-struck character, all Masand said was she looked "pretty". Gupta
found she looked "stiff and rehearsed". After such reviews, I didn't
want to spend money watching it.
With Aisha, Kapoor upped her
style quotient several notches, portraying a bratty Delhi girl.
Pre-release publicity said Kapoor was just being herself in the film.
But even that performance wasn't convincing. I only watched the movie
when it aired on television later, particularly since the reviews were
so scathing. Masand seemed to be running out of patience. "She plays the
airhead convincingly and pulls off the flighty princess part, but
flounders when it comes to drumming up tears, anger or hurt," he said.
"Sonam manages to look like a million bucks... but is more flat and
precious than lovable," Gupta added. She won the 2011 Golden Kela award,
the Bollywood version of the Raspberry Awards, or Razzies, for her role
in this film.
Kapoor went on to give two stylish duds: Thank You
and Players. She looked great, acted badly. Finally, it was her role
opposite Shahid Kapur in Mausam that promised some emotive talent. But
critics seriously questioned her acting abilities. Masand blamed it on
the "corny lines that she was saddled with", while Gupta called her
"lifeless". And like I Hate Luv Stories, the standard complaint was that
there was no chemistry between the lead actors. I couldn't gather the
courage to watch it on DVD.
Kapoor recovered some ground in
Raanjhanaa, though most critics gave more credit to Dhanush, the male
lead. Chopra's review entirely spoke of Dhanush and the plotline,
without a single mention of Kapoor. Masand gave her some credit for
being able to portray the character "smoothly". Gupta was scathing: "Her
limitations as an actor are evident when she has to get serious."
Kapoor in Raanjhanaa was nominated yet again in the worst actress
category for the 2013 Golden Kela award. Kapoor's role in Bhaag Milkha
Bhaag, Mehra's imperfect biopic of Milkha Singh, was too insignificant
to notice.
Having watched about 30 seconds of Bewakoofiyaan,
Gupta's review struck a chord with me: "Sonam is one of the few
Bollywood denizens who wears her clothes beautifully, and doesn't let
them wear her... But acting is a whole different thing." Being a style
diva is fine, but will someone tell her that films are also about
acting?
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