Interview: Sonam Kapoor--The Jhakaas girl

ALREADY, THERE HAVE BEEN KNEE-JERK COMPARISONS WITH MADHUBALA AND SADHANA. But hang on.. she has a certain individuality.. she's a new millennium girl who knows her heart and mind. Parents Anil and Sunita Kapoor were hesitant to let her skip off to the studio world where angels fear to tread. But she was resolute. Well- read and well-mannered, she's the girl from the Juhu- Vile Parle Scheme who was tipped to go places. Sonam Kapoor is caught before take-off by Roshmila Bhattacharya IT'S ALL THERE.. every day, the city's sparkle, sizzle, sauce and surprises galore

Ranbir Kapoor says that he loves Ranvir Raj, his Saawariya character, because he's so much like him. How close do you feel to your char- acter? Oh no, Sakina is nothing like me and that's why I love her. I became an actress, so I could play someone who's not like me at all. I'm a true You're being compared to the yesteryear heroines..as well as Rekha and Aishwarya Rai. Noooo. Really? I haven't heard about such comparisons at all. It's scary! So what have you heard? Well, there have been the respons- es to the promos. My friends and family love the way Ranbir dances. They rave about how Mr Bhansali has made everything look so beautiful. They're going ballistic over the songs and yes, Salman Khan. (Laughs) I zone out when they start discussing me. What kind of a world is it where you have both gondolas and autorick- shaws? Neverland? Yes, Neverland. Saawariya is like a fairy tale. Okay, so did Sanjay Leela Bhansali ever lose his temper at you.. or is that like asking if there is water in the Ganges? (Laughs) Come on..well.. he did lose his temper on occasion. Whenever I didn't want him to get mad at me, the tears would just flow. Seeing me cry would upset him so much that he would call me his Sona bacha and suggest that I should take a break and eat some- thing. (Chuckling) He knows food always makes me happy. But you couldn't have lost 30 kilos for the role by indulging in comfort food. I'm not off food, only the fried stuff and sweets. Salt and sugar are silent killers. I've cut out choco- lates, ice cream and rice from my diet, but not regular khaana. When you're young, losing weight is easy. Actually, it's easy if you eat healthy and work out daily. Also, it's important to take a blood test to ensure that the extra kilos you're carrying around are not because of hormonal imbalance or diabetes. You're sounding like a dietician. I get that from mom.. and dad, of course. They're fitness fanatics. There was some buzz that Sanjay Bhansali was pretty upset with Ranbir and you for getting too lovey- dovey on the sets. I think Mr Bhansali would have been really happy if we had become lovey-dovey. Sorry, but nothing like that happened. Ran- bir is a buddy, my best friend. I've literally grown up with him. Nothing more. I do get mad at him for being a major introvert. It's a job to get him to come over for dinner. I've to badger him for five days with calls..and then he says, "Maybe...we'll see." He's been getting several threatening calls from his fans because he's so protective of you. He's always been like that. (Laughs) But his fans needn't wor- ry about me. Ranbir is available. Your dad, Anil Kapoor, seems more nervous than you as D-day nears.. November 9? He is. He calls me up five times in a day. That's sweet! The more nerv- ous he gets, the calmer I become. Apparently even your mother has been tearing her hair. Nope, she's cooler than a cucum- ber. She believes in destiny.. the Gita. According to her, there's a reason for everything. I've never given my parents any stress. I've been this boringly obedient little girl. My sister rags me for being our parents' chamchi. Didn't you want to enter the Miss India contest at one point of time? Who told you that? So it's true? Well, maybe once upon a time.. when Sushmita Sen and Aish- warya Rai were crowned Miss Universe and Miss World. I must have been barely 11 or 12. Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra went on to win also, it was awesome!I guess it was a childish fantasy to become Miss India..then Miss World. You started as an assistant to Mr Bhansali. Why did you quit assisting him halfway through Black? I completed Black. It was such a special film. Isn't your sister also planning to act? You'll have to ask her that.. but I know that my brother, Harsh, will be a star. He's dad's chief advisor. Your favourite Anil Kapoor film? There are three actually. Mr India, Lamhe and Virasat. I must have seen Mr India five million times. Every time I'd get upset because I couldn't enter the TV set and join the other kids.. or get Calendar to cook for me. A Rishi Kapoor-Neetu Singh film? Amar Akbar Anthony, it's the best commercial film ever made. How do you view the competition from Om Shanti Om and Deepika Padukone? Remember Gadar and Lagaan released on the same day too. It's good to be spoilt for choice. And I don't think of Deepika as a com- petitor at all. She's so stunning.. as a model she's learnt the ropes. She's way ahead. Tell me honestly, wouldn't you have wanted to romance six-pack Shah Rukh Khan in your first film? Honestly, I'm grateful that Ran- bir is my first co-star because I could be myself with him. (Smiles) Okay, so maybe I don't have Shah Rukh but I do have Salman Khan. If not an actress, what? A writer. Maybe I could have angled for your job.