anil on sona again credit sk.net
Anil Kapoor On Sonam - Stardust December 2007
13 Dec 2007 - 19 Views - Fari
In a recent interview with Stardust, Sonam's proud dad talks about her, Ranbir, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and much more. Here are the parts about Sonam:
"I want Sonam to not only handle her work but also help in mine."
Anil has been 'accused' of handling or managing his daughter Sonam's career. At this, two thoughts come to mind. One, that with Anil's past record, goodwill and contacts in the industry, a lot of people may approach him too easily in the hope of using that connection to rope in his daughter into their films. On the other hand, newcomers may shy away from wanting to approach Sonam as an equal, because of her father's daunting career graph and image. One aspect would enhance Sonam's chances whilst the other would dim her's as well as other directors' aspects as a possibly intimidating prospect. Anil smirks and says with a disbelieving expression that conveyed without saying it aloud, like, how could I betray an old friend like him even in thought, or how could I be foolish enough to believe that. He sneers, "Just because of one small article in a tabloid said that, you're accusing me."
Well, Anil just seemed like a concerned father, except that in this profession, his child probably needed more guidance and support than maybe in if she had chosen some other profession. So why was he getting defensive about looking out for her? "Please don't take that seriously," Anil urges me, enlightening, "I'll tell you what, the idea is ultimately to achieve a balance, where Sonam is confident and old enough to choose for herself. And that she gets comfortable enough in this atmosphere, enough not just to choose the stories and films for herself, but to also start handling and taking over completely. That's the way I see it and that's the way I want to handle it now. Slowly I want her to not only handle her work but that she help me in my work. I would want her to achieve that where very quickly, she'll be handling everything, forget me handling her work. And the time will come and very fast. She has the youth and age and everything going for her, she might be helping me. That's the situation I'm looking at. Because youth is something where with the energy you have, with what exposure she has had and with what she can do, what youngsters can achieve is something phenomenal today. She should start helping me so that I can have it easy."
Yes, Sonam is one of the few newcomers who one has met who has not just confidence and personality, but she has had a great teacher in her father. The lessons Anil Kapoor had to learn himself in the industry have been inculcated into her so finely and she has absorbed them so well, that the child has an innate sense of what to say, how much to say, when to say and what not to say. Also what to say for effect, how to pose her body language, oh well, she's been a very dilligent student and has learnt her lessons well. Thank you Anil, but did the fact that Sonam is a voracious reader, combined with her home training in the filmi duniya, did it also hone in her the sense of being able to recognise and nose out a good story yet when she hears one? "I can't vouch for that just yet. But children today have such a mind of their own. They are so decisive. As a matter of fact, I've gained a lot and learnt a lot in the last two years of Sonam's stepping into this industry. If you see in the world I've done, there is tremendous interaction, different blood, and the industry requirement is fresh blood and professional thinking, so that I've been able to really rethink the foundation for me also. I've gained a lot in terms of a whole new perspective from the kids, all three of them, from Harsh, Rhea, and Sonam."
So what would Anil do if Rhea turned round and said she wanted to do films tomorrow? He's so enthused by the thought he jumps in his armchair. "I would love it. Why only Rhea, even Harsh. Today, times are such that you should let them do what they want to do. It's very important to be in a profession where you love your work. They have to enjoy what they do."
After seeing 'Saawariya', as an actor, how did Anil view Sonam's prospects? What did he appreciate in her work? And what did he think of her co-star and son of his good friend Rishi, Ranbir? Anil says nonchalantly, "Amongst all the filmmakers and directors we have in the industry, Sanjay Bhansali is the last of the Mohicans, if you want to call him that, who's getting back that era of Raj Kapoor. His kind of filmmaking was something else, dedicated, the script, music, sets, all that, everything that makes for an unforgettable film. What I'm getting at is that basic training is under a person who gives you the best of everything like I had my first film under somebody that helped make my foundation really strong. We're not talking or whether the film is a success or failure. It's the work culture. The behaviour, the attitute to filmmaking, the dedication, the hard work, diction, timing, everything is so fantastic that the base is very strong now. So for Ranbir and Sonam, it's a win-win situation no matter hwo the film fares. For them they have already passed the test. Having done a film like this, what more could you want. Why do you do films, you want people to recognise you, they know you and they appreciate you. And that they had even way before the film released. That was the kind of impact even working in a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film has already given them. It's spectacular what they've already achieved through this film."
What does Sunita feel now about Sonam's acceptance and success in the industry and growing identity? She was not at all keen that her daughter get into films. Is it for her the equivalent to a daughter happily married to a new career now? Anil gives me both, a literal and otherwise explantion. "Today, times have changed and man has changed so much that the chances of Sonam getting a better husband are more because she is working. If you're working and you've achieved something, the entire thinking of man has changed. I think you might get a better life partner. Because you get a better understanding of things in life if you're working, you gain an all-roundedness to your nature. So for you to choose a person and the person to also choose you, your options become much, much more and vice versa. And Sunita is a different kind of person. I really don't worry about these things but Sunita is different. And I'm not taking any credit for the way the kids have turned out. What Sunita feels and thinks and all that, she's not really into all that. She just feels that the child should be happy."
Sunita Kapoor remains a non-filmi person. But she must feel an emotional high seeing her daughter at the threshold of success. "I don't know ya. She still shouts at us the same way, at me, at the kids, so nothing has really changed, neither with my success nor the kids'." Anil's grinning as he thinks of Sunita.
What was Anil looking for as Sonam's next film? No hard and fast conditions from father to daughter, he shrugs, "Just that she should enjoy her work yaar." Anil's policy regarding endorsements has been firm over the years, and he steadfastly refuses to do endorsements for reasons he justifiably believes have worked for him. But the same set of rules need not necessarily apply to Sonam who may have a different viewpoint. It's his times versus her time after all. Anil cheerily informs, "Sonam's totally for endorsements as much as I am against them. She knows what my take for myself is, but I don't have to impose it on her. She's a very independent minded child and she makes her own choices. She'll probably go out and do as many endorsements as she pleases. And I would never stop her."
Suguna Sundaram/Stardust December 2007
Itti Si Khushi Sab TV
Anupamaa
Love Friendship Dating and Relationships
