Shaadi Is Boring Sonam Kapoor
Jewellery from Chandni Chowk, chiffon from Sarojini, accessories from Janpath – the Aisha star is clear that when it comes to shopping, there’s no place like Delhi!
Sonam style
Ask anyone in tinsel town or even outside it who the best dressed among the younger actors is. The overwhelming majority probably will – and many have – voted for Sonam in the recent past. “Oh, I don’t know about the style icon image – I’ve always loved clothes,” says Sonam, a tad self-conscious. “The style icon tag is a little embarrassing, actually. It’s really just an expression of your individuality. Like in Delhi, the design fraternity is so dominant… I really believe designers are artistes. It takes an artiste to cut a suit correctly. It’s my hobby to collect old clothes. If you’re comfortable in your skin, style comes automatically. I mean… I can’t explain it – I’d be cool in even a kurta and jeans.”
And has she done any rasta-chhaap shopping? “Oh, you find the best clothes in Janpath! I’ve shopped in Chandni Chowk, I’ve found the best jewellery there, and bindis, shoes, the best kapda. It’s my passion. You have to just really enjoy it. Some of the best dressed people I’ve seen are college girls in Delhi, they’ll buy kapda and get those surplus branded clothes and just make their own stuff. I’ve been to Sarojini, of course, I got kapda for my salwar kameez from there.” For a film outfit? “Not for a film yaar, for me! You get the best chiffon there, the French chiffon, the Maharani Gayatri Devi wala, wahin se milta hai. There’s no place like Delhi for shopping… uff, I could go on and on. The best embroidery you get here, the best gota. In GK, you know na, you get the surplus clothes from international brands…” says Sonam, sounding quite excited. This is one ride that this clotheshorse clearly can’t get enough of!
Pankaj uncle’s pet
Sonam was in Scotland when we spoke to her, wrapping up a shoot for Pankaj Kapur’s Mausam with Shahid. How’s the mausam there? “Oh, the weather here is lovely right now. Summer in Scotland is very beautiful. It has an old world charm, and I’m fascinated by that,” she says. But she’s bound not to say much on the movie itself. “Mausam is a classic love story written by Pankaj Kapur, it stars Shahid and me, and that’s all I can tell you right now,” she laughs apologetically.
She’s working for the first time with Shahid – how’s it going? She reminds you that she’s worked ‘for the first time’ with all her co-stars so far. “Shahid is wonderful, he’s very, very nice, very kind, sweet, gentle…” And Kapur Sr – is he as strict with the unit as reports say he is? “He’s not at all strict with me, and Shahid is always super annoyed because he feels that Pankaj uncle is completely biased towards me. I could get away with murder on the sets!” she laughs.
Imran Khan, with whom she’s done I Hate Luv Storys, has said that he’d really wanted to work with her, and that they both get along pretty well. Correct? “Yeah, Imran and I have great chemistry. Even off-screen, we share a great equation, and I think that’s translated on screen. We’re complete opposites in real life and we’re always ribbing each other, joking… I have good chemistry with both Ranbir and Imran,” she says. Imran, in fact, used the word ‘chill’ for her – “there’s never any stress working with her, she’s very chill,” he’d told DT. “I enjoy Imran’s company,” Sonam says. “I don’t feel judged around him. There are very few people like that, who’re not concerned with who you are, where you come from, how you’re behaving… he’s like that.”
He did say, however, that he and IHLS director Punit Malhotra, who have a staple jeans-and-tee wardrobe, would keep ribbing her about appearing in all these “deadly numbers”. That makes Sonam laugh merrily. “Achha? Arre, Avantika (Imran’s fiancée) dresses quite cool too – I don’t know why he’s saying that! Avantika and I have similar tastes. Imran dresses pretty well too, his jeans and tees are cool, and he’s naturally good looking. He’s blessed that way; he has such a gorgeous face, he looks like James Dean. For IHLS, I told him that if you look better than I do, I’ll kill you!” she says, still chuckling.
Love and luv storys
Is she like her character in IHLS – super sugary romantic? “I’m not like Simi. I’m a true idealist, I’m a romantic, but I don’t like perfect things in my life,” says Sonam. “I’m not like any of the characters I’ve played, actually, except for maybe Aisha, to a certain degree. Her flaws are like mine. I’m like Simi only in my obsession with Hindi films.”
There’s no dearth of love stories about her – the link-ups, the latest one being with Punit. “I’m very, very, very much single,” she says patiently; obviously, the question’s been asked many times. “Punit and I are not seeing each other, we’re just friends, and the rumours are very awkward, weird and uncomfortable.” But is she looking for love? “I am looking for someone – I’m 25 yaar, I want to have fun.” And marriage – does she have an age and time in mind? “You can’t plan these things. How can girls be like that? ‘Main iss age mein shaadi karoongi, do saal mein mere bachche honge, mere do bachche honge’ – how boring! You have to go with the flow, work hard, enjoy yourself,” she says airily.
Filmi fundas
Who, we ask, are her friends from the industry? “There’s Aarti Shetty, Pooja Shetty Deora, Ranbir, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rani Mukerji, Atul Kasbekar… the people I’ve worked with – Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Bharti, Imran… I’m great friends with my manager and make-up artiste too!” she says.
And does she think the industry is now fundamentally different from the time when stars could saunter in to the set hours late and play college kids despite carrying more than a few extra kilos? “See, my dad was the pioneer of coming on time and looking good. It’s the same with Amitabh Bachchan. The biggest stars I’ve worked with – Prem Chopra, Waheeda Rehman – they’re all very humble and very professional. There might have been a couple of actors who were like that, but the people I’ve known have been very professional. Anyone who’s not is not going to be successful. I don’t think dad has worked with anyone like that – and if they worked for him, he’d fire them! But yes, of course, you have to look good… and you can’t be fat!” she giggles.
