Daughter of Anil Kapoor and Sunita Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor made her Bollywood entry with "Saawariya", a film by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The movie also introduced Ranbir Kapoor, scion of the other Kapoor Dynasty of B'Town, but it failed to connect with the public at that time. It still went on to become a reference in the culture, praised for its aesthetics and the performances of both actors alongside a brilliant supporting cast made of superstar Salman Khan and powerhouse Rani Mukerji.
Seven years later Sonam, who was never part of the race to superstardom, created a niche for herself in the industry. She is an activist for youth related issues, Bollywood's most influential fashionista globally and she proved her worth by playing strong characters in offbeat movies, be it romantic films, romcoms or thrillers.
After her debut, she featured in "Delhi-6" in 2009. The movie did not do well at the box office, but Sonam’s character portrayal of a typical Delhi girl was hugely applauded. She has been part of other movies like the hit "I Hate Love Storys", "Aisha", "Thank You", "Mausam" and "Players".
2013 proved to be a milestone in Sonam’s career. She featured in "Raanjhanaa" and "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" which were one of the biggest hits of the year. In the beginning of 2014, she was seen in "Bewakoofiyaan", but the movie didn´t click at the box-office. Her next release of the year was "Khoobsurat". The actress was highly praised for portraying a happy-go-lucky girl in the movie.
Here are a few quotes that shed light in what the future holds for Bollywood's most assertive actress.
On her proudest moment in her 7 years in Bollywood:
"I am proud of my work. Every film I have done has brought something different in my life and made me grow as an artiste. I might not be the best actor around and I think, I really have a long way to go, but I feel I have improved with every film. I shall be acting till the day I die."
On possibly acting in another film industry:
"I just want to be working and it doesn’t matter which language, as long as it challenges me and makes me happy. Just being on a movie set makes me very happy."
On her interest in using the medium television:
"I would love to do television because it has such a far reach. Honestly, with 24, my dad has changed a lot of rules. Although I am interested, I have to keep those plans at bay for the moment. Rhea and I are building dad’s production house and at the same time I am busy with my films. Maybe, in a couple of years when I have a little more time I will start doing television. There’s some amazing Pakistani dramas on the channel called Zindagi and I would love to do something like that. My grandmother keeps watching the channel so I sit with her sometimes and watch it. The content is so good, they shoot it so beautifully and their aesthetic sense is so nice. It’s a pity, that we don’t have such fare on Indian television. Unfortunately, shows like Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and Zaban Sambhal Ke are not being made any more."
On the genres left on her wishlist to explore:
"I hope to get stronger characters and I am on the lookout for a film that has got a lot of drama. I am a fan of horror and love reading horror books. In fact I would like to direct a horror film as opposed to acting in one. But I am not particularly fond of American or Indian and am more inclined towards Japanese and Chinese horror flicks."
Well Sonam, yours was a call from destiny, so best wishes on your journey in Bollywood!
