'I miss S'pore food, lah'
BOLLYWOOD's next IT girl has a massive soft spot for Singapore and Singaporeans.
Sonam Kapoor, who is actor- producer Anil Kapoor's daughter, lived in Singapore for two years - from 2001 to 2003 - attending United World College (UWC) at Dover Road.
The 22-year-old actress will be making her debut in director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's new film, Saawariya (Beloved).
It will open on 9 Nov, over the Deepavali weekend.
When The New Paper spoke with the debutante actress in between her photo shoots in Mumbai, she mostly talked about how much she missed Singapore.
She exclaimed: 'I miss the food. I miss hanging out at Holland Village and Mohd Sultan Road.
'I miss hearing 'lah'.'
Sonam moaned that she couldn't get good Chinese food in Mumbai, adding that she would kill for kailan with oyster sauce and Chinese fried rice.
LUCKY TATTOO
To commemorate her time in Singapore, she revealed she got a tattoo of the Chinese character Fu - that means good luck or good fortune - on her right hip bone.
'I got it at Far East Plaza. It was to remind me of Singapore,' she said.
Sonam will be co-starring with her childhood friend, Ranbir Kapoor (no relation) who is also making his debut in this film about star-crossed lovers.
Ranbir is from one of Bollywood's famous acting dynasties, the Kapoors.
During her time in Singapore, nobody knew that her father was a famous actor.
Sonam said: 'Because I was the only Indian in my class, nobody had a clue about the Indian movie industry or about my dad.
'I was cut off from Bollywood during that time.'
Sonam scored the role in Saawariya when she and Ranbir were helping Bhansali for his 2005 film, Black, as his assistant directors.
She had initially planned to study in the UK after UWC and applied to Royal Holloway, University of London, to read economics, English and theatre.
She took the job with Bhansali as she had a year before her classes started.
The director cast them in Saawariya in the roles of Sakina and Raj almost immediately, said Sonam.
BLESSED
'It feels amazing and I feel so blessed and fortunate. He is the best director in the industry,' she said of her mentor.
Sonam always knew she was going to be in the film industry, but never as an actor.
It was most probably because she weighed a hefty 80 kg in 2005.
Bhansali saw a spark in her and persuaded her to start her transformation.
Sonam lost 35kg and looks stunning in the movie's photo stills.
She said: 'It was easy to lose it because I am young and my mum owned a gym. I changed my eating habits - no more cookies and cream ice-cream - and switched to a healthier lifestyle.'
She added cheekily: 'It's because of all the good Singapore food that I gained weight during my college days.'
Saawariya is produced by Sony Pictures, the first among Hollywood companies trying to get a piece of the Indian cinema pie by producing their own Bollywood films.
With the global marketing weight of a major Hollywood studio thrown behind this film, there is a tremendous buzz surrounding Sonam and Ranbir's debut.
The film comes up against Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om, which will be released at the same time.
Model Deepika Padukone makes her debut as well in the film. As a result, there has been some comparison of her and Sonam.
When asked if there was any competition between the two debutantes, Sonam burst out laughing.
She said: 'How can I even compare myself with her? She is so stunning. She has been a model and she is doing a film with Shah Rukh Khan.'
At the moment she doesn't have the time to think of her supposed rival.
Sonam is concentrating on doing the publicity rounds before the release next week.
She is also getting used to being the public eye as herself and not as daddy's girl.
'I am learning the ropes right now and hopefully I will start enjoying it a little more,' she said
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