Sonam overtakes Deepika

When you lost the love of your life to someone else,it might seem like the end of the world. But actually it is only a new beginning because there always is hope. Hope not only to win your love back because even if you dont, things will still be set right, probably even better. Life has an uncanny way of blanching things out,you lose some place, and you gain elsewhere.

Add to it the fact that having lost something precious motivates one to push harder, to do better. For every proud love story, there is a story of a renowned artist who lost in love and went on to paint the most magnificent canvas, or the heartbroken poet who penned the words that generations would remember. And these artistes, these losers in love became immortal because their passion got translated into success stories. And their walk of glory, albeit solitary, was a bed of roses.

Sonam Kapoor has been walking solo in the world of dreams after her 'Saawariya' left her midway through the journey. Sonam's relationship with co-star Ranbir Kapoor was as much a talking point as were their two of the most anticipated debuts of recent times. But then there was another debutante, gorgeous Deepika Padukone who stole Sonam's thunder.

Not just 'coz her debut film 'Om Shanti Om' became a stupendous hit but also because she had wooed Ranbir away from Sonam. Destiny had chalked out almost similar paths for Sonam and Deepika right from the onset, and they were set for collision course once too often. Of course, the stunning beauties had a lot in common. Besides being daughters of highly illustrious fathers, the two shared a passion for greasepaint and glamour world.

And then they would also share the passion for the same young man. Although they both set out achieving their dreams rather differently, the twain were set to meet at some point or the other.

Deepika had her easy-on-the-eye presence and confidence to take her places. But without any direct connection to Bollywood, she chose the round-about modeling path to filmdom. Sonam on the other hand, daughter of highly accomplished and well-respected Anil Kapoor, was a name waiting to be launched in films. But Sonam didn't want things on a platter, but learn her craft before plunging into it, even if it meant doing things the hard way.

She began with assisting maverick director Sanjay Leela Bhansali on 'Black'. And that's where she met another budding actor who was learning the ropes, also assisting Bhansali. Sonam and Ranbir were like two kids on the sets, totally taken in by the magic of movie making, waiting for their own dreams to realize.

Their common interests and backgrounds, besides the hours they spent on film sets together only brought them closer, and the two had begun seeing each other. Bhansali was initially averse to the idea, as he didn't like the thought of work mixed with pleasure. But he later relented, and even gave the couple his blessings as he prepared to launch the two in his ambitious project 'Saawariya'.

So while Sonam and Ranbir had roughed it out on the sets to gear up for the big launch, Deepika created waves on fashion circuit, and everything for the ramp walker seemed like a cakewalk. When Farah Khan was looking for a new girl to be launched opposite SRK, in 'OSO', she couldn't miss Deepika who was gracing billboards all across town and magazine covers very frequently.

So while Sonam and Ranbir began shooting for 'Saawariya' not very far from their sets 'OSO' began rolling with SRK and Deepika. It was during their respective films' shootings that Ranbir and Deepika first met. And there were sparks flying instantly.

Though Deepika was then dating Nihar Pandya and the status of Sonam-Ranbir relationship remained ambiguous, it didn't stop the two young ones for going for their hearts' desire. Soon Ranbir and Deepika were spotted walking into five-star cafes walking hand-in-hand or going on long drives around the city. The message was clear for Sonam, Ranbir had moved on.

But the two were still close friends and if Sonam was hurting she wasn't showing. Displaying maturity way beyond her age, she put on a brave front promoting her labour of love 'Saawariya', making public appearances with Ranbir left, right and center. As luck would have it, she'd clash with Deepika at the box-office too, as 'OSO' was releasing the same day as her film.

Both the films went into a publicity overdrive, but only one could reap the benefits. While 'OSO' was a gigantic hit, 'Saawariya' met a fate worse than 'Titanic' (ship, not the movie). Bhansali went into defense mode and later on into depression. Ranbir was appreciated for playing the vulnerable hero and with no strong competition in the year, would sweep the male debutant awards.

He'd also be the toast of filmmakers looking for a fresh, young hero. It was Sonam who had to face stiff competition. Despite her remarkable showing in her debut she was overshadowed by her co-star. And her rivalry with Deepika was already built up. With 'OSO' being a success, the focus had shifted to Deepika who was gaining early mileage and film offers. But if you actually sat back and compared the two performances, you'd see how refined a showing Sonam's was.

And the first acknowledgement of that she received was at 'Stardust' awards where she won the coveted 'Superstar Of Tommorow' award. According to a filmmaker, Sonam was truly deserving 'coz hers was a subtle and mature performance. Sadly for her, people were blown away by 'OSO'.

But even before 'OSO' released Deepika was in a rush to make things work in her favour. She had already signed Yashraj's 'Bachchna Aye Haseeno' with Ranbir Kapoor. After 'OSO' released Deepika went on a signing spree, almost signing every decent film coming her way, from Saif's first home production to Vipul Shah's 'Chandni Chowk To China' with Akshay Kumar.

And although these are first-rate projects, a lot more was expected from Deepika, touted as the next best thing and a future No.1. Meanwhile, Sonam was in no rush to make hay. She knew her time would come, as she believed in her talent. She bagged the prestigious project 'Delhi 6' opposite Abhishek Bachchan right under Deepika's nose.

The film carries weight because director Rakeysh Mehra is riding on the cult status and following of 'Rang De Basanti'. And Mehra was initially keen on signing Deepika as his leading lady but is said to have had second thoughts because Deepika wasn't keeping an exclusive profile. He probably meant in terms of the films she was signing, but it applied to her personal life too.

During the raised interests in her, post 'OSO' and doubts over Ranbir's future, post 'Saawariya', Deepika had found paramours in two of cricket's poster boys. Captain Mahender Singh Dhoni and his deputy Yuvraj Singh both pursued her with a vengeance, but after Dhoni gave up the chase, Deepika settled for Yuvraj.

Ranbir was suddenly cut off from the picture and he went back to his ex-flame designer Nandita Mahtani temporarily. Deepika had a brief relationship with Yuvraj with ended equally abruptly, and her oscillating between Ranbir, Yuvi and forever back-up plan, Nihar left your head spinning. Finally she came back and steadied herself with Ranbir who was only too eager to welcome her with open arms.

But all this speculation about her personal life had taken the focus away from the professional strides she was making. Today Deepika gets written about more for her mushy, puppy love with Ranbir and not as a career-oriented professional, a reputation that has taken a beating. Will it be a big price to pay; only time will tell. Or a certain Sonam Kapoor, who will only be too glad to make Ms. Padukone pay in kind.

When a pairing works at the box-office, it's natural that it gets repeated to follow the success formula. So a film with Shah Rukh should ideally have been in the offing for Deepika. After all, SRK had a knack of working with actresses he had formed a successful team with, be it Aishwarya, Rani or Preity.

So when Aditya Chopra was making a directorial comeback with 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' with SRK, the search should have begun and ended with Deepika, if not the obvious choice Rani. But Rani on the wane is only doing a cameo in the film and Deepika with her heady behaviour had ticked off Shah Rukh once too often. So the most coveted project and role of the year fell into Sonam's lap.

What works for Sonam, according to insiders, is her approach to her work, her single-minded focus and her genial manner. Sonam hasn't stepped on any toes so far with her propah behaviour, she isn't losing direction by being in the news for wrong reasons and she is determined to let her work do the talking.

Sonam's foundation in her craft is solid and she has maintained her exclusivity by being extremely choosy about her projects. Shah Rukh is grinning from ear to ear for finding an ideal co-star for his film, who's only going to make him look younger and better.

According to trade pundits, "Though Deepika had the head start over Sonam 'coz of her more obvious success, Sonam has pulled the rug under Deepika's feet." With two of the biggest projects under her belt, you'd tend to agree. Sonam had been holding her cards very close to her broken heart all along.

Only when she decided to show them, you've realized that she has come out trumps, both professionally and personally. And her experience and demeanor will take her a long way. Deepika may have her man by her side, but you wonder if that's going to be enough when she goes head to head with Sonam, over the coming years, time and again. Probably not! The current scenario is clear, Deepika has been aced by Sonam and how!

**BY SHASHANK SAMANT

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