Sonam: “I’m Very Happy With What We’ve Achieved”

Sonam K Ahuja, as Sonam Kapoor is known  after marriage,is  very happy with the  way her latest film Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga has been received.

Though the  boxoffice  numbers have not been  large  Sonam  is content as only she can be. “When we set  out  to  shoot this  beautiful  story  of same-sex love we  never aimed it to be  a blockbuster. The numbers that we’ve gathered  for the  film are  very satisfactory to us. EkLadki…was released  in  only a 1,000 screens. That’s not a  big release  by the  standards  of the big blockbusters. We  knew we were breaking  rules  in  the  film, and  we were cautious about  how we go about it. I am very pleased with  the  result.  The number of  messages and calls I’ve  received in  response  to my character  and to the  film just gladdens  the heart.”
Sonam  refuses  to take credit  for being the  first mainstream  actress to play a homosexual  character. “Long before me Shabana Aunty(Azmi) and Nandita Das played lovers in  DeepaMehtta’s Fire. That was  so progressive and  such a long time  ago. I love Deepa Mehta’s elemental  trilogy(Fire, Earth , Water). Indian actresses have constantly been pushing the envelope whenever they’ven been given  the opportunity  to do so.”

Sonam feels a sense of responsibility should be a fundamental  part  of  all actors’ work ethics. “You cannot be a celebrity and  behave irresponsibly. I think being sensitive  about marginalized  communities has always  come naturally to me. That’s the way I’ve been  brought up. There is no self-congratulation in doing a film like Ek Ladki Ko Dekha….”

 Having  said that, Sonam admits  playing the  repressed lesbnian  was not easy. “Sweety  is a repressed character. I am nothing  like that in  real life. I’ve always done what I’ve wanted to with the  full support of  my family. My character  Sweety in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha is  as  repressed as Sakina,  the character I played  in my first film Saawariya…I think  from the start I’ve gravitated towards  roles that challenge me  to explore new facets  to  my  personality.”

Sonam’s next release   The  Zoya Factor in  April is far more light in tone.And she had  fun doing it.

“It’s been a while since  I did a fun film.The Zoya Factor is very different from Ek Ladki KoDekhaa…much lighter in  tone.I worked  with  (Malyalam star) Dulquer Salman who is  a very goodlooking man and  a talented actor. I  think  more people would come for  him than for me,” she jokes , not the  least insecure about her co-star.

In  Ek Ladki Ko Dekha she  had her father Anil Kapoor  as  co-star who happily took a  backseat to her author-backed role.

Sonam  disagrees vehemently. “Not at all. If you see,  my dad is the hero of  the  film. His character brings  about the change in the homophobic mindset. He didn’t do  the  film only because  I was in it. At the end  of the day he’s a professional actor and he  saw what a fabulous role he had.”