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It's been a while since one has felt the infusion of such young, and innocent new blood in the industry. The advent of Sonam Kapoor and her debutant co-star Ranbir Kapoor leaves one with the feeling of elation. Theirs is a bright and promising future, exciting in its possibilities. The atmosphere at Rishi Kapoor's house where they meet us is like a backstage grand rehearsal of a high school play. The kids are all over the place, playing well-behaved adults. But their natural ebullience cannot be contained, and permeated everyone and everything around them. They're thrilled to bits, they love the drama, but they're a trifle nervous, as they shyly reveal. Ranbir is sent packing whilst Sonam talks, even though we are ensconced in the too comfortable sofa in his bedroom, which he comes back to apologise, 'is a mess'. For the moment, you can barely seperate the package of the two - Ranbir and Sonam. But as the petals unfolded, you discovered each in their individual beauty. This one is about Sonam Kapoor. She's a child of 22. A breathtakingly beautiful child who loves her parents. And says about her famous father, "My dad's mad - Oh, I love him!" She has a gazelle's grace, and melody in her voice. And is about to take her first independent steps into a professional identity. She is debuting with master filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Saawariya'. If you search, and don't have to look very hard even, admist Bhansali and his opulent sets, the numerous Kapoors, Anil Kapoor and mom and others, you can read very clearly the emerging picture that is Sonam. The truly Golden child stretching out for her place in the Sun.
Sunita Kapoor is the reason Sonam is the person she is. Anil Kapoor is the reason Sonam Kapoor made her choice. Brought up in a non filmi environment, no mean task considering it was Anil Kapoor's household, Sonam had other priorities inculcated in her through her mother. So did she ever feel when she made her choice, that somewhere, her parents' expectations from her were different? Did she go through angst, guilt, or any regrets, second thoughts, even after they gave their blessing? Sonam has obviously spent much thought before and after she made her choice. "To my mother, yes, it came as an unexpected shock. She was thinking ke bachchi padhegi, shaadi karegi, ghar basayegi... you know. According to my dad, he always knew, because one actor recognises another. He sensed it long ago because when I went to UWC, I took up theatre art as my main subject. And I love dance. It's my passion. I'm an Indian classical dancer. I've been learning under the guidance of Shri Uma Dogra since I was seven. I did dancing because of my grandmother. My nani was into classical music and dance. I love going to programmes though I can't sing to save my life. But my passion has always been a leaning towards the classical arts. At the same time I used to like Madhuri doing 'Dhak Dhak' and Sridevi in 'Chaalbaaz', which I thought was damn hot. I had an inclination towards that also. So my father sort of understood. I've never regretted my choice nor have I sensed any regret in my parents. My father feels that he's worked for over 20 years in the industry and he has never experienced a single moment when he didn't love his job. He loves his job, he's obsessed. For him, work is worshop, and his thoguht was that the joy that he has got from films, how could he deny that to his daughter? my mother felt like, 'No, we have to get them married'. But he's very different. My father always said, 'Why? Woh bhi ho jayega. But let my daughters work. They're so intelligent, and so beautiful and so strong.' He speaks about us like that." Anil Kapoor's daughters and he obviously are members of a mutual admiration club, but one senses that the young ones have the upper hand. They have him wrapped around their little fingers.
But Sonam apparently was not so litle and slender once upon a time. She giggles as she recalls herself then, and quickly sobers up, "I was so fat, 90 kilos. Yes it was a weight problem. I was in Arya Vidya Mandir, wearing kurta pyjamas, going to school and saying 'Om Bhurbhuvaswaha' and all that. And suddently I was in UWC where they were all white people and I was the only Indian there, and girls and boys were making out publicly and I was in a huge culture shock. I'd never gone outside of JVPD Scheme, I had Gujarati and Maharastrian friends from Goregaon. My mom kept me quite sheltered that way. That was give years back, and as soon as I finished school. My mom said 'I'm not going to send you to college here because of the club scene and bunking and all that'. And where do I find myself? in Singapore. It's a place where even the leaves look dry cleaned. So food was my escape. I didn't drink or smoke and I was in a strange country. And after that, I went to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's set where if I wore something with even a little skin showing, I got fired. He treated me like his daughter. So yes, I've been protected till now, and Sir and dad are thinking 'Oh God, you're going to be out there now'." Yes. Now Sonam was going to be all out there and her identity was going to take its own form and shape and direction. Sonam shivers in anticipation, "I'm waiting so eagerly, I want the film to release now."
Working as an AD with Bhansali in 'Black', what did that teach Sonam about herself and about the director? "When I joined Sanjay Bhansali, I joined with the intention of becoming a film-maker. I wanted to write very badly. Accoridng to my mother I should have become a writer instead of an actress. Writing is something that you can't give up, it's my personality. You can write for years and you don't need to give it to somebody else, and for me to create a world is beautiful. And this man creates this space which is other worldly. It's truly fantastical, his sets, his mean and women. And I said I want to be a part of this world very badly." But didn't the real world come across as harsh when you've lived for two years and more in Bhansali's make-belief world? Sonam's as wise as she is beautiful. This is wisdom for a 22 year old. She says sagely, getting to the heart of her first filmmaker, "His world might be superficially very perfect when you see his films, in terms of beauty, but all his characters are flawed, whether it's Nandini, or a Paro or a Chandramukhi or a Sakina or a Ranbir Raj (Sonam and Ranbir's characters in 'Saawariya'). In all that beauty, he puts the unique human spirit and that's why his films work. They touch something inside you. In a way, he knows that the perfection in the world is flawed and he brings that out in his films, which I found fascinating. That's the beauty of his filmmaking." Still mesmerised by the heady experience of working in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film, while working in the film what was the extent of her identification with her character? "What Sakina is, is innocence. Now, I don't know if I have that innocence yet in me." She says in a childlike whisper. "But obviously Sanjay saw that. She's completely the oppsoite of me. I'm a modern girl and my traditional side is a conscious coice to love Indian culture. I just love it. When I went to University, I realised that I cannot be anywhere but Bombay or India."
When 'Saawariya' stepped into the picture, how was it from the background to the foreground? Tougher? The responsibility as an AD is different because the film does not rest on your shoulders, as opposed to that on an actor's shoulders. "For me, there wasn't much of a difference besides the point that I was wearing war paint and my hair was done and all that, because Sanjay has always treated me as a student in one form or the other. And while I was an AD, he also trained me on how Amitji used to do his continuity. Or how Rani did every take differently even though her continuity was perfect. Sanjay visualized me in his film, he didn't visualise me as Sakina in 'Saawariya', he wanted me to be an actor in a film. He had not decided what film he was going to do. I never saw myself as an actor even though there was self-realisation that I'm meant to act. I'm more comfortable behind the scenes than I am in front of the camera." Even today? Pat comes the reply, "No, today I'm not. But at that point I was. I never took care of myself, of the way I looked. Those things didn't matter, putting a film together seemed more important. I made a very stupid statement to my father once, it was the most hideous statement I could've ever made. I said, 'Why should I be puppet when I can be the puppeteer?', when he asked me why I wanted to direct and not act. Because even at that point, my father knew that I would become an actor. And now I realise that I'm not a puppet in anybody's hands, I'm creating my own thing because I never was in that position. It's basicalyl filmmaking, whether you're doing it as an actor or director, or writer. You're still creating something, the tools change of what you're using to create your expression."
If a film came up where Sonam needed to act with her father, would her confidence flag? Would she be inhibited to perform in front of her father? "No, my confidence wouldn't flag and I wouldn't be inhibited to act in front of him because I wouldn't be working as his daughter. I would work as one actor working with another actor. I would of course, be in awe of the fact that I'm working with Mr Anil Kapoor who I feel is the best actor we have in the industry right now. He never got a bad review man, who does that! It's scary." she squeals. Did Sonam never think that her dad or uncle could have made a film for her launch? "Definitely my father and my uncle would have done that for me. But I don't believe in ifs. Everything happens because it happens. If that were to happen, it would have happened, one way or the other, either from my side or my father's side. Whether they would have thought of it or whether I asked them to, I really don't know, I can't imagine that. But fate had another plan." And so there was 'Saawariya'. What was the growth in Sonam during and post the film? Was she happy with what she put into the film? "Sanjay Leela Bhansali has put his soul into me. I know that every nuance of mine in the film, every hair strand, if you know his films, whatever I am in 'Saawariya' his him or is because of him. So from now on, my journey begins. I will know only when I do another film. I will only know what my worth is in my next film because right now, it's all Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Anil Kapoor."
But Sonam will probably learn different when she enters another set up. It would be too much to expect a similar kind of experience in every film. She's earnestly hopeful, "I would love to work with anybody who has that much passion and dedication. I'm a very hardworking person. I learnt discipline and hard work from my father. Even Sanjay's extremely disciplined and he works very hard. And both, my dad and Sanjay Bhansali do not need to work so hard because they're naturally so talented. But they insist on doing it and that's why they've reached the level they have. I don't think I have five percent of the talent of these two people. I would like to do something I would enjoy doing. If it's a story or a character that I find endearing or that I relate to instinctively, I'd do it. Yes I could be totally off the mark about the film in totality and the fate of the film, but as long as I'm honest to it, as long as I know I'm excited about it, whether it's a small filmmaker or big, or even a non filmmaker, I don't care as long as it's something I want to do." That's a brave statement to make, but it doesn't seem to stem from childishness. Rather from an ingrained sense of seeking pathbreaking roles - a quality that a certain Anil Kapoor has in plenty.
What did Sonam think it took to be an actress? In her case, was it a natural inclination or did she have to work at it? She's lickety-spit quick with the answer because she knows it well. "It takes you to be besharam to be an actress. In the sense of losing all inhibitions. You just cannot be inhibited." And had she achieved that? "I'm not a basically inhibited person. I do not believe in creating a facade for myself. Ranbir always ells me that I see things in black or white always. But that's the way I am." Could she accommodate grey in another person? She doesn't like it but she has to. "Yes, she answers in a small voice, "I've learnt to do that because everybody else is like that, shades of grey" She's not yet lost the original track as she continues, "You need to be very conscious of your looks, it doesn't matter if you look good or bad, but more then maintaining yourself as aesthetically beautiful, you need to maintain your body flexibility, the mobility of your face, it doesn't have to be naturally inherited, these skills can be acquired. I've always believed in one thing that my mom has told me, you can do whatever you set your mind to if you want to, I don't know if I'm naturally talented or not, but I know that Sir has worked very hard on me, I've worked hard on me and my dad has worked hard on me."
Did she know her assets and limitations? "Yeah. Every human being has limitations. But as an actress, I'm only one film old so I've not fully discovered by limitations. Also, because I've been guided by Mr Bhansali, I really don't now. He knows my flaws. I can't discern for myself what looks good on me or what doesn't. Many times I thought that I did well, but Sanjay disagreeing with that used to happen all the time. He's a perfectionist and I used to feel, 'Oh maine sab kuch de diya', but there's always more, I knew that he knows how far he can push me to do. He always tells me, 'You don't realise your own potential. You don't know how much you can do, and you're not giving it to me. Just that much more', he used to cajole, so I can never begrudge him anything for anything he has said, because I know he's given me what he has.'
If not Sanjay, which other director might Sonam have chosen to or wanted to debut with? She stubbornly shakes her head "Nobody else. I would not have become an actor if it weren't for Sanjay Bhansali. My mom put it very nicely. She said 'if the best marriage proposal comes for you, even if I don't want you to get married, how can I say no?'. My mom didn't want me to act but how could she say no when the offer came from the best director in the country? I don't think I'd have been an actor if somebody else had come and offered me a debut film. I would not even have thought about it. Seriously.
Criticism can be a scary word in the dictionary of a newcomer. Had Anil Kapoor weaned her into the repercussions of and the mental coping with bouqets and brickbats? "Yes. I haven't come up for criticism so far because my film hasn't yet released. But if I can criticise and have my own judgement, everybody is entitled to theirs. And I've come into it knowing that the reason I'm working is to put my work out there for judgement. Yes, it would be hurtful to hear something negative about me or my work. But at the same time, I have to look at it as part and parcel of the profession. I hope I have the maturity to take something negative that somebody had said, work on it, ponder over it and get beyond it. But I really don't know. If I can do that, that would make me a better person."
Begum Para, Zohra Sehgal, Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Ranbir and Sonam. Three generations of actors from three different acting schools. What did she learn? "From Salman, I can tell you, I learnt how to switch on and off. He is the most clued in actor anybody can meet. If anybody says that Salman does not concentrate, that's not true at all because he's the most clued in, and the most amazingly spontaneous person ever. And he knows exactly what he wants to do and exactly what he's going to do and he takes care of himself. And he's the most outstanding human being I know. So I learnt how to keep things light on the sets, but still concentrate and to take my work seriously, which he does. From Rani, I learn patience. How to be always on time, to be etxremely professional, to be spontaneous as well as measured. And to respect other actors, which she does. She gives a lot of respect to the other person. And Rani is my favourite actor and I'm really biased, I love her. She's the best. Begum Para, her voice, and her old world charm, her ads, she's sexy at this age. God! She's amazing, the way she speaks is awesome. Her voice is so majestical. Zohra Sehgal is an institution in herself, she is the most amazing actor. She's fully energy. I learnt to stop complaining about being tired at work. She gets up in the morning and just gets to work. I mean, if a 90-year-old can do it, a 20-year-old has no business complaining."
Had Sonam ever asked her dad about acting? "I ask him all the time. During this film, all the time. And he's taught me to always be on time, say yes when the director's working and let him direct you. To give your opinions only when they're needed, never over the directior's vision, but at the same time, to never say something more than you should as an actor.' Eventually it's the director's call and you should perform and go with what the director says. In that way, you'll be honest to what is expected of you and what you're doing. My father always told me, 'Become a bad habit with your directors so that they can't do without you in their films. They have to have you. Only when they do that can you grow.' As for an indepdent identity, seperate from Sanjay Leela Bhansali and from Anil Kapoor, I will always rely on their support structure. I don't think any human being can be that indepdendent that he doesn't need a support structure. You reply on other people all the time. And no human being is who he is today without the support of others and the inputs that have come from other people."
What was Sonam's perception of the industry and its people? Did she feel cocooned or exposed, having been born into it and sheltered from it at the same time? "I think the film industry is the same as any other industry. When they talk about the casting couch, there is the same thing happening in every other industry. The only difference is that there is more exposure in the media into his profession, so people talk about ie. Like in any other job, here too, you have to work hard and need to be good at your job. It's wrong to say the industry's dirty. It's beautiful because it's creative and different. I love the industry and I feel very secure here because my dad's a part of it. I'm my father's daughter and very proud to be his daughter. If anybody says she's got it easy because she's Anil's daughter, yes I have and it is easy because I'm Anil Kapoor's daughter, and I'm not apologetic about it. People will talk."
So, had she made many friends in the industry? There were bound to be contemporaries and rivals since everyone was pitching for the same work. Again, her voice becomes soft. "No, only Ranbir and Rani." Sallu, I query, since she liked him so much. "Salman is my dad's friend. I call him Salman only, he'll kill me if I call him uncle." That's when it struck me all over again how ridiculously young this lovely girl was. She continues, not regretfully, but in a tone that said she'd like it to be otherwise, and that it would happen some day, "See, I don't have friends from the industry because my mum never took me there, and Ranbir is my friend because we're family friends. I don't know how it will be now that I'm getting into it professionally. I haven't met anybody yet. Kareena's been really sweet to me and always praises me whenever she meets me. I think she's really sweet. I met Priyanka Chopra and she was very nice to me too. I don't know who I might be friends with in the indsutry, I really don't know."
Sunita Kapoor is the reason Sonam is the person she is. Anil Kapoor is the reason Sonam Kapoor made her choice. Brought up in a non filmi environment, no mean task considering it was Anil Kapoor's household, Sonam had other priorities inculcated in her through her mother. So did she ever feel when she made her choice, that somewhere, her parents' expectations from her were different? Did she go through angst, guilt, or any regrets, second thoughts, even after they gave their blessing? Sonam has obviously spent much thought before and after she made her choice. "To my mother, yes, it came as an unexpected shock. She was thinking ke bachchi padhegi, shaadi karegi, ghar basayegi... you know. According to my dad, he always knew, because one actor recognises another. He sensed it long ago because when I went to UWC, I took up theatre art as my main subject. And I love dance. It's my passion. I'm an Indian classical dancer. I've been learning under the guidance of Shri Uma Dogra since I was seven. I did dancing because of my grandmother. My nani was into classical music and dance. I love going to programmes though I can't sing to save my life. But my passion has always been a leaning towards the classical arts. At the same time I used to like Madhuri doing 'Dhak Dhak' and Sridevi in 'Chaalbaaz', which I thought was damn hot. I had an inclination towards that also. So my father sort of understood. I've never regretted my choice nor have I sensed any regret in my parents. My father feels that he's worked for over 20 years in the industry and he has never experienced a single moment when he didn't love his job. He loves his job, he's obsessed. For him, work is worshop, and his thoguht was that the joy that he has got from films, how could he deny that to his daughter? my mother felt like, 'No, we have to get them married'. But he's very different. My father always said, 'Why? Woh bhi ho jayega. But let my daughters work. They're so intelligent, and so beautiful and so strong.' He speaks about us like that." Anil Kapoor's daughters and he obviously are members of a mutual admiration club, but one senses that the young ones have the upper hand. They have him wrapped around their little fingers.
But Sonam apparently was not so litle and slender once upon a time. She giggles as she recalls herself then, and quickly sobers up, "I was so fat, 90 kilos. Yes it was a weight problem. I was in Arya Vidya Mandir, wearing kurta pyjamas, going to school and saying 'Om Bhurbhuvaswaha' and all that. And suddently I was in UWC where they were all white people and I was the only Indian there, and girls and boys were making out publicly and I was in a huge culture shock. I'd never gone outside of JVPD Scheme, I had Gujarati and Maharastrian friends from Goregaon. My mom kept me quite sheltered that way. That was give years back, and as soon as I finished school. My mom said 'I'm not going to send you to college here because of the club scene and bunking and all that'. And where do I find myself? in Singapore. It's a place where even the leaves look dry cleaned. So food was my escape. I didn't drink or smoke and I was in a strange country. And after that, I went to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's set where if I wore something with even a little skin showing, I got fired. He treated me like his daughter. So yes, I've been protected till now, and Sir and dad are thinking 'Oh God, you're going to be out there now'." Yes. Now Sonam was going to be all out there and her identity was going to take its own form and shape and direction. Sonam shivers in anticipation, "I'm waiting so eagerly, I want the film to release now."
Working as an AD with Bhansali in 'Black', what did that teach Sonam about herself and about the director? "When I joined Sanjay Bhansali, I joined with the intention of becoming a film-maker. I wanted to write very badly. Accoridng to my mother I should have become a writer instead of an actress. Writing is something that you can't give up, it's my personality. You can write for years and you don't need to give it to somebody else, and for me to create a world is beautiful. And this man creates this space which is other worldly. It's truly fantastical, his sets, his mean and women. And I said I want to be a part of this world very badly." But didn't the real world come across as harsh when you've lived for two years and more in Bhansali's make-belief world? Sonam's as wise as she is beautiful. This is wisdom for a 22 year old. She says sagely, getting to the heart of her first filmmaker, "His world might be superficially very perfect when you see his films, in terms of beauty, but all his characters are flawed, whether it's Nandini, or a Paro or a Chandramukhi or a Sakina or a Ranbir Raj (Sonam and Ranbir's characters in 'Saawariya'). In all that beauty, he puts the unique human spirit and that's why his films work. They touch something inside you. In a way, he knows that the perfection in the world is flawed and he brings that out in his films, which I found fascinating. That's the beauty of his filmmaking." Still mesmerised by the heady experience of working in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film, while working in the film what was the extent of her identification with her character? "What Sakina is, is innocence. Now, I don't know if I have that innocence yet in me." She says in a childlike whisper. "But obviously Sanjay saw that. She's completely the oppsoite of me. I'm a modern girl and my traditional side is a conscious coice to love Indian culture. I just love it. When I went to University, I realised that I cannot be anywhere but Bombay or India."
When 'Saawariya' stepped into the picture, how was it from the background to the foreground? Tougher? The responsibility as an AD is different because the film does not rest on your shoulders, as opposed to that on an actor's shoulders. "For me, there wasn't much of a difference besides the point that I was wearing war paint and my hair was done and all that, because Sanjay has always treated me as a student in one form or the other. And while I was an AD, he also trained me on how Amitji used to do his continuity. Or how Rani did every take differently even though her continuity was perfect. Sanjay visualized me in his film, he didn't visualise me as Sakina in 'Saawariya', he wanted me to be an actor in a film. He had not decided what film he was going to do. I never saw myself as an actor even though there was self-realisation that I'm meant to act. I'm more comfortable behind the scenes than I am in front of the camera." Even today? Pat comes the reply, "No, today I'm not. But at that point I was. I never took care of myself, of the way I looked. Those things didn't matter, putting a film together seemed more important. I made a very stupid statement to my father once, it was the most hideous statement I could've ever made. I said, 'Why should I be puppet when I can be the puppeteer?', when he asked me why I wanted to direct and not act. Because even at that point, my father knew that I would become an actor. And now I realise that I'm not a puppet in anybody's hands, I'm creating my own thing because I never was in that position. It's basicalyl filmmaking, whether you're doing it as an actor or director, or writer. You're still creating something, the tools change of what you're using to create your expression."
If a film came up where Sonam needed to act with her father, would her confidence flag? Would she be inhibited to perform in front of her father? "No, my confidence wouldn't flag and I wouldn't be inhibited to act in front of him because I wouldn't be working as his daughter. I would work as one actor working with another actor. I would of course, be in awe of the fact that I'm working with Mr Anil Kapoor who I feel is the best actor we have in the industry right now. He never got a bad review man, who does that! It's scary." she squeals. Did Sonam never think that her dad or uncle could have made a film for her launch? "Definitely my father and my uncle would have done that for me. But I don't believe in ifs. Everything happens because it happens. If that were to happen, it would have happened, one way or the other, either from my side or my father's side. Whether they would have thought of it or whether I asked them to, I really don't know, I can't imagine that. But fate had another plan." And so there was 'Saawariya'. What was the growth in Sonam during and post the film? Was she happy with what she put into the film? "Sanjay Leela Bhansali has put his soul into me. I know that every nuance of mine in the film, every hair strand, if you know his films, whatever I am in 'Saawariya' his him or is because of him. So from now on, my journey begins. I will know only when I do another film. I will only know what my worth is in my next film because right now, it's all Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Anil Kapoor."
But Sonam will probably learn different when she enters another set up. It would be too much to expect a similar kind of experience in every film. She's earnestly hopeful, "I would love to work with anybody who has that much passion and dedication. I'm a very hardworking person. I learnt discipline and hard work from my father. Even Sanjay's extremely disciplined and he works very hard. And both, my dad and Sanjay Bhansali do not need to work so hard because they're naturally so talented. But they insist on doing it and that's why they've reached the level they have. I don't think I have five percent of the talent of these two people. I would like to do something I would enjoy doing. If it's a story or a character that I find endearing or that I relate to instinctively, I'd do it. Yes I could be totally off the mark about the film in totality and the fate of the film, but as long as I'm honest to it, as long as I know I'm excited about it, whether it's a small filmmaker or big, or even a non filmmaker, I don't care as long as it's something I want to do." That's a brave statement to make, but it doesn't seem to stem from childishness. Rather from an ingrained sense of seeking pathbreaking roles - a quality that a certain Anil Kapoor has in plenty.
What did Sonam think it took to be an actress? In her case, was it a natural inclination or did she have to work at it? She's lickety-spit quick with the answer because she knows it well. "It takes you to be besharam to be an actress. In the sense of losing all inhibitions. You just cannot be inhibited." And had she achieved that? "I'm not a basically inhibited person. I do not believe in creating a facade for myself. Ranbir always ells me that I see things in black or white always. But that's the way I am." Could she accommodate grey in another person? She doesn't like it but she has to. "Yes, she answers in a small voice, "I've learnt to do that because everybody else is like that, shades of grey" She's not yet lost the original track as she continues, "You need to be very conscious of your looks, it doesn't matter if you look good or bad, but more then maintaining yourself as aesthetically beautiful, you need to maintain your body flexibility, the mobility of your face, it doesn't have to be naturally inherited, these skills can be acquired. I've always believed in one thing that my mom has told me, you can do whatever you set your mind to if you want to, I don't know if I'm naturally talented or not, but I know that Sir has worked very hard on me, I've worked hard on me and my dad has worked hard on me."
Did she know her assets and limitations? "Yeah. Every human being has limitations. But as an actress, I'm only one film old so I've not fully discovered by limitations. Also, because I've been guided by Mr Bhansali, I really don't now. He knows my flaws. I can't discern for myself what looks good on me or what doesn't. Many times I thought that I did well, but Sanjay disagreeing with that used to happen all the time. He's a perfectionist and I used to feel, 'Oh maine sab kuch de diya', but there's always more, I knew that he knows how far he can push me to do. He always tells me, 'You don't realise your own potential. You don't know how much you can do, and you're not giving it to me. Just that much more', he used to cajole, so I can never begrudge him anything for anything he has said, because I know he's given me what he has.'
If not Sanjay, which other director might Sonam have chosen to or wanted to debut with? She stubbornly shakes her head "Nobody else. I would not have become an actor if it weren't for Sanjay Bhansali. My mom put it very nicely. She said 'if the best marriage proposal comes for you, even if I don't want you to get married, how can I say no?'. My mom didn't want me to act but how could she say no when the offer came from the best director in the country? I don't think I'd have been an actor if somebody else had come and offered me a debut film. I would not even have thought about it. Seriously.
Criticism can be a scary word in the dictionary of a newcomer. Had Anil Kapoor weaned her into the repercussions of and the mental coping with bouqets and brickbats? "Yes. I haven't come up for criticism so far because my film hasn't yet released. But if I can criticise and have my own judgement, everybody is entitled to theirs. And I've come into it knowing that the reason I'm working is to put my work out there for judgement. Yes, it would be hurtful to hear something negative about me or my work. But at the same time, I have to look at it as part and parcel of the profession. I hope I have the maturity to take something negative that somebody had said, work on it, ponder over it and get beyond it. But I really don't know. If I can do that, that would make me a better person."
Begum Para, Zohra Sehgal, Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Ranbir and Sonam. Three generations of actors from three different acting schools. What did she learn? "From Salman, I can tell you, I learnt how to switch on and off. He is the most clued in actor anybody can meet. If anybody says that Salman does not concentrate, that's not true at all because he's the most clued in, and the most amazingly spontaneous person ever. And he knows exactly what he wants to do and exactly what he's going to do and he takes care of himself. And he's the most outstanding human being I know. So I learnt how to keep things light on the sets, but still concentrate and to take my work seriously, which he does. From Rani, I learn patience. How to be always on time, to be etxremely professional, to be spontaneous as well as measured. And to respect other actors, which she does. She gives a lot of respect to the other person. And Rani is my favourite actor and I'm really biased, I love her. She's the best. Begum Para, her voice, and her old world charm, her ads, she's sexy at this age. God! She's amazing, the way she speaks is awesome. Her voice is so majestical. Zohra Sehgal is an institution in herself, she is the most amazing actor. She's fully energy. I learnt to stop complaining about being tired at work. She gets up in the morning and just gets to work. I mean, if a 90-year-old can do it, a 20-year-old has no business complaining."
Had Sonam ever asked her dad about acting? "I ask him all the time. During this film, all the time. And he's taught me to always be on time, say yes when the director's working and let him direct you. To give your opinions only when they're needed, never over the directior's vision, but at the same time, to never say something more than you should as an actor.' Eventually it's the director's call and you should perform and go with what the director says. In that way, you'll be honest to what is expected of you and what you're doing. My father always told me, 'Become a bad habit with your directors so that they can't do without you in their films. They have to have you. Only when they do that can you grow.' As for an indepdent identity, seperate from Sanjay Leela Bhansali and from Anil Kapoor, I will always rely on their support structure. I don't think any human being can be that indepdendent that he doesn't need a support structure. You reply on other people all the time. And no human being is who he is today without the support of others and the inputs that have come from other people."
What was Sonam's perception of the industry and its people? Did she feel cocooned or exposed, having been born into it and sheltered from it at the same time? "I think the film industry is the same as any other industry. When they talk about the casting couch, there is the same thing happening in every other industry. The only difference is that there is more exposure in the media into his profession, so people talk about ie. Like in any other job, here too, you have to work hard and need to be good at your job. It's wrong to say the industry's dirty. It's beautiful because it's creative and different. I love the industry and I feel very secure here because my dad's a part of it. I'm my father's daughter and very proud to be his daughter. If anybody says she's got it easy because she's Anil's daughter, yes I have and it is easy because I'm Anil Kapoor's daughter, and I'm not apologetic about it. People will talk."
So, had she made many friends in the industry? There were bound to be contemporaries and rivals since everyone was pitching for the same work. Again, her voice becomes soft. "No, only Ranbir and Rani." Sallu, I query, since she liked him so much. "Salman is my dad's friend. I call him Salman only, he'll kill me if I call him uncle." That's when it struck me all over again how ridiculously young this lovely girl was. She continues, not regretfully, but in a tone that said she'd like it to be otherwise, and that it would happen some day, "See, I don't have friends from the industry because my mum never took me there, and Ranbir is my friend because we're family friends. I don't know how it will be now that I'm getting into it professionally. I haven't met anybody yet. Kareena's been really sweet to me and always praises me whenever she meets me. I think she's really sweet. I met Priyanka Chopra and she was very nice to me too. I don't know who I might be friends with in the indsutry, I really don't know."
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Cricket
