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Sonam courts media attention and fends off comparisons with co-debutante Deepika Padukone with a practised ease that belies her newcomer status
n a quiet, verdant bylane in Mumbai's Juhu stands Anil Kapoor's three-storeyed residence. Sonam Kapoor chooses to meet us at papa's tastefully done-up bungalow. We take the elevator to the second floor drawing-room replete with antique silver artefacts. A tall, lissome lass welcomes us with a broad smile reminiscent of her father's warm grin. Dressed in a traditional Patiala-kameez in dainty paisley print, she picks up her feet and squats comfortably on the sofa. Just then Rhea, her younger sister, calls from New York. "You can't be asking me what to buy now!" she chides her younger sibling firmly before addressing our queries. Is Indian ethnic wear her natural preference or is it a ploy to perpetuate her coy-girl Saawariya look? Says Sonam, "I am more comfortable in Indian clothes. Even my nani scolds me about going fully-clothed, 'Your mom used to wear halters at your age' she sighs. But once you have been fat, you are always conscious about skin show. I wear jeans and dresses when I am with my friends, even for my TV interviews I have worn off-shoulder tops with tights. But gimme a salwar-kameez anyday," she rambles away. How much has the 22-year-old's life changed since becoming the Saawariya girl? "Nothing, but my job profile has changed from being the assistant director to the lead actor in sir's (Sanjay Bhansali, that is) units," she observes candidly. Four years ago, she was just 18, weighing 86 kgs, wearing thick glasses and ethnic kurta when she went to meet Bhansali at his residence. Leela Bhansali had remarked even then, "You should be a heroine." Sonam chortles merrily and says "I told him nervously that all I wanted was to assist him.". Soon "Sona bachcha" became SLB's pet assistant. She assisted him through the making of Black, "It was as if everybody besides me knew that I was to be his next heroine. He groomed me without ever spelling it out to me. He would tell me to observe Rani's rhythm and Amitabh Bachchan's diction. Mom never wanted me to act but papa was always supportive," she reveals. The oldest of Anil Kapoor's three children, Sonam aspired to be a teacher first, a detective "like Nancy Drew", a dancer and then a writer-director, but fate had something else in store for her. A big break as Sony's first Bollywood heroine was beyond her fantastic imagination !
After signing her as the lead lady, the first thing Bhansali made her do was to watch classics starring Meena Kumari, Nargis and Nutan. Though a trained Kathak dancer, she was made to join Shiamak's western dance classses. "Although I hardly have any comic scenes in the film, Sir made me do a workshop with Jaideep Bhate and then polish my Urdu diction with Roshan Taneja," she elaborates. She essays the part of a traditional Muslim beauty, Sakina. "Saawariya is a story about love in its purest form that is self-destructive. It isn't just another Hindu-Muslim love story," she assures. Speaking about her co-star, Ranbir, her "best buddy" whom she has known all her life, she says, "Ranbir is a perfectionist, completely in character while I am more of a spontaneous performer," she points out.
Just bring up Deepika Padukone who is set to debut on the same day as Sonam in Om Shanti Om,and Sonam quickly asserts, "I am not scared of competition. Deepika is so beautiful. But as papa told me I should compete only with myself and that's the only way to better myself." As the film releases on November 9, she's anxious that her 17-year-old chhota bhai Harsh should approve of her outing on silver screen,"He's brutally honest and protective about me and his opinion means the world to me," declares Sonam happily. She admits to being a workaholic like her papa and her Sir,"Hope the recent report about re-shooting a TV interview isn't misconstrued," she remarks cautiously. Although she hasn't signed any new film as yet, she is keen to do a David Dhawan film like a "full-on comedy with commercial jhatkas," she sighs longingly as her PRO snatches her away from her incessant chatter to prepare for another media interaction. "I have been doing only this since the music release," she says waving away animatedly. As for her future film assignments and endorsement Sonam pops a "filmi" stock answer, "Ask papa!"
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