“My responsibility is towards myself”
It is not easy to be Sonam K. Ahuja. For one she is always in the spotlight for being the most outspoken actress ever. While she is still touted for being the fashionista who changed the Bollywood fashion game, her choice of cinema is leaving her contemporaries frantic about the competition. Its obvious that she lives by her rules, and the rest simply comply. But does it get tough being that girl with the silver spoon asks Shubarna Mukerji Shu.
She might be playing the lucky charm in her latest release but Sonam K. Ahuja (Sonam Kapoor) refuses to credit luck with her success. “Yes of course there is some power out there that is aiding you, guiding you but there is no substitute for hard work!” she quips nonchalantly. Irrespective of her posy stances, her glamourous clothes and to the point witticisms, one can’t refute the fact that Sonam is one of the most hardworking actresses in Bollywood. Her choice of cinema, her grit to explore the unexplored has made her the most sought-after youth icon today.
Everyone is talking about The Zoya Factor, a film which has Sonam Kapoor playing a ‘lucky charm’, in India where female infanticide is still existing – how does it feel to make such a contradictory film?
I am not someone who is unaware of the situations in India. Also, I am conscious of the fact that there are many other factors that are challenging India and our film is not even about those either… my point is, we have adapted the film straight from the book and haven’t really twisted it into a moral stand. The Zoya Factor is a film that speaks about superstitions in the highest order but it is fun and romantic too. Not every film can come with a message. My last release, aggressively spoke about equal rights to people of every orientation, and I love it when I can mix a message with entertainment. But it is not always possible.
Though I must say that as an Indian girl, I am blessed. I am born in a family that truly believes that I am a blessing to them. I have always been treated equally in comparison to my cousin brothers or even my own brother, so I represent the urban Indian family who takes pride in their women. I can only hope that it will be the same for all eventually.
You just said that you like to mix some message with entertainment, it is a big moral responsibility. Have there been instances where doing a film has changed you in some way or another?
Believe me, someway or the other I have always taken a learning from my films. Even today when I look back, I see Neerja – I personally think this film changed me a lot. It taught me that it is ok to be afraid, it is ok to be fearful. Being brave is not being fearless, it is facing one’s fear. There is a big difference there. Of course, with a film like Sanju – I learnt the power of media. We might say it as a rote, that the pen is mightier than the sword, but seeing the life of Sanjay Dutt you can tell that it can really make or break a person. With Padman I learnt that I shouldn’t take my blessings for granted. We just spoke about how there are places where girls are not fortunate enough to be even born, and yet there are places where though they are given life, they are not given respect. So you see, these small things that we have – respect, self- assurance, confidence etc…. are unknown to many so let’s never take it for granted. With Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga – the take away was obvious and very personal, I would say because when I agreed to be a voice for the LGBT community, I not only got their love but also their respect.
It was a very powerful story with a very important message, did it disappoint you when it didn’t make box office numbers?
Not at all. I am not being diplomatic, I am incapable of that. What I am trying to say instead is that what I have got from the film is already a lot. Yes, I would have loved it if it made a lot of money but unfortunately that didn’t happen. Yet, it is one of the most critically acclaimed films I have been a part of, it is one of the most discussed films too… for me that’s good enough.
Barring a ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ or a Padman you have not really worked with the Khans or the bigger stars. Instead you have brought in your own lot of hunks to B-town and made some rather interesting cinema… has it been a planned modus operandi or just coincidence.
I have always enjoyed working with good actors irrespective of their star status. It is not like I am working with rank newcomers, I have almost always been surrounded by people who have already proved their mettle. For instance, here in Bollywood, people didn’t know Dhanush when I did Ranjhanaa but he was a very popular star even then and his body of work was known to me. The same with Fawad Khan and now, Dulquer Salmaan.
How was it working with Dulquer Salmaan in The Zoya Factor?
He is such huge superstar in Malayali cinema. But he has no vanity or arrogance in him. He’s great fun to work with. We really hit it off well! I really like his wife too, they make such a wonderful couple. Since you asked about him, I would like to go on record and make a clarification, because he himself won’t ever talk about it. There were rumours doing the rounds that Dulquer replaced Fawad Khan in this film but there is no element of truth in it. Dulquer was the only choice for The Zoya Factor. We were in talks with Fawad for a different project – The Battle of Bittora!
That’s yet another film I am already looking forward to, though it is still a long way from release… it is clearly becoming a habit for Sonam to churn one nice film after another…
I feel responsible for my body of work. I cannot be a part of something that I don’t believe in anymore. Especially now when I am juggling between my marriage and my profession, if I am getting onto a jet plan to go shoot a film it has to be worth my dedication and my time. Only money is not enough, it has to have content too. My responsibility is towards myself, I am not even talking about my fans’ expectations off me.
As a married woman, does it get difficult to constantly be juggling your marriage with your profession?
I believe any woman, not only an actress will tell you that it is tiring to juggle two things. My time is divided between my husband and my work but I am glad that I don’t feel divided. Anand doesn’t let me feel divided. If he did it would have been very stressful for me to maintain a balance. But my career and marriage are smoothly aligned. I guess I am fortunate. But I’ve also worked hard to get where I am. So, let’s not give luck too much credit.
Now that you just mentioned that about the juggle, one wonders if we will now see you only in films like The Zoya Factor where you play the central character, would anything less not be worth your time?
My responsibility as an actor is to align myself with movies I would be proud to be a part of, movies that are entertaining, conscientious and memorable. I wasn’t the central part of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, neither was I central to Sanju. The important thing for me at this stage of my career is to do films I enjoy doing. I learnt this from my father (actor Anil Kapoor). To enjoy my work so much it doesn’t seem like work.
