Sonam Kapoor has a new fan!

Professor Franco Cardini, a Vatican-based historian professor, didn't find much colour in Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth: The Golden Age , and his reaction to the movie was far from 'golden'. Having described it as a "distorted anti-papal travesty", critics went ahead to accuse Kapur of emboldening the already prevalent Catholic-Protestant divide. But the unruffled creator defended his case by stating, "My film is not anti-catholic. It simply reflects a certain political scenario of those days, which interestingly resembles the political scenario today. And funnily my movie has done most business in Italy - a predominantly Catholic country."

While Shekhar is "besotted" by his 'golden girl' Cate Blanchett, have any of our glamorous ladies made an impression on the suave, intelligent man? "Cate is a fine actress, she has spent years in theatre, and I don't think anybody from our present lot reminds me of her. I admired Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi. They worked hard and you could see it. They worked on their accents, their body movements... Today most Indian actresses claim to be tomboys who have simply been made to wear a sari and are enjoying the experience. But I must say that Sonam Kapoor comes across as intelligent and has a certain screen presence."

Preity Zinta? After all, we did hear about Shekhar's alleged affair with the dimpled lass. "I'm linked with every lady I work with; I can't even dine with a friend, else I'll be romantically linked with her. Today I'm being linked with Cate. Well, let me tell you Cate is wonderful and pregnant, with her husband's child, not mine!" he laughs, adding, "They are very happy together. And tomorrow when I work with another actress, I can bet I'll be 'allegedly involved' with her as well. Allegations will never cease to exist," he says.

And what about sexy compliments that come his way from the fairer sex? Having aged so gracefully, they don't cease to exist either, we're sure? "Oh how I wish!" exclaims Kapur. "When I made Masoom , my friends made me believe, that women will fall for me and that I'll have a great sex life. But nothing happened. Instead I felt even the slightest degree of harmless flirtation that I was granted before I entered films diminish. Then I made Mr. India and then Bandit Queen and my friends once again promised me that girls would come my way and seductively leave behind their numbers or even their keys. Till date nothing of the sort has happened! I've concluded that the women folk are probably scared to approach me because of my 'aura', or then they think they'll upset me. I take this opportunity to tell all those lovely ladies, "I'll not be upset if you come up to me and tell me how you really feel," he laughs.

The filmmaker has been impressed by the likes of Gandhi and has been inspired enough to make a film on Nelson Mandela, too. "But I wanted to portray Mandela as a failure. So, nobody was willing to fund my project," he averred candidly. "A failure?" we ask. "Yes, he may have done wonders for the world with his guerrilla activities and all, but he failed as a father. When I met his daughter once, I asked after her dad, and do you know what she told me? She said, "What father?"

So how is Shekhar as a father? "I need to spend more time with my daughter, Kaveri," admits Kapur, almost guiltily. "She's a small girl and has had a tough time dealing with her parents' divorce. The press was open and blunt about it. Kaveri goes to school; she has friends who I'm sure question her about things, and the poor girl must be confused about it all. But Suchitra and I live in the same house even today. I'll do anything to avoid putting issues of abandonment in my daughter's mind. I'd rather face it now and do my best as a father than wait till she is twenty-six years old and asks me, "Where were you when I really needed you?"

What is the equation between Shekhar and Suchitra today? "We are friends even today," he claims matter-of-factly. "Having been married for so many years, Suchitra and I still share a lot of things. Also, we are parenting together. There's a comfort zone, and I can talk to her about anything. I don't know what tomorrow has in store for me. Maybe somebody will come along whom I'll again be comfortable talking with. Who knows?"