Feminism and empowerment are two words that dominate our interaction with Sonam Kapoor in Dubai. The Bollywood actress, who has been lauded for her quirky and unapologetic fashion choices and is ambassador to some of the most prestigious brands in the world, was recently in the city for Indian brand Kalyan Jewellers. She has been unofficially declared the fashion queen of Bollywood and features regularly in the best-dressed lists of leading international magazines such as Vogue and People.
“My fashion style is sporadic. Every day I feel different and want to wear different things. I believe fashion is not something to be copied off magazines or from other people, it is something very individual,” she told Gulf News tabloid!
As an actress, Kapoor has been in the industry for more than seven years, with a handful of successful movies, the latest being Neerja, a biopic on a slain Indian flight attendant considered a national hero.
However, her fashion sense has almost always outshined her performances — but she doesn’t resent that.
“It doesn’t matter at all. There are many actresses, but in fashion it’s just me. I have done quite well in films also, and it’s not as if they’re separate. Both feed each other and I’m happy to be known positively for something I love,” she said confidently.
In an answer to a question about how much her father, the actor Anil Kapoor, influences her work, she said, “My father has been in the film industry for over 30 years. If I didn’t ask him for advice, it would be really stupid. But the final choice is always mine. He has never told me what to do or not to do. He is a feminist, too. He raised me to be a smart, thinking human being, with equal opportunities, education and freedom.”
So how does she choose her movies?
“I am all about female empowerment and feminism. In Delhi 6, I had a 25-minute role but it was an empowering character — Bittu Sharma — she wanted to be something more than the girl who got married,” she explained. “There was a significant arc to her role and she isn’t just a pretty girl dancing around trees. If I get a movie in which, hopefully, I am the hero or if I have an amazing and important role, I will do it.”
This year Kapoor has two movies in the pipeline: one is R. Balki’s Padman, a biopic which also features Akshay Kumar, and a biopic on actor Sanjay Dutt by Rajkumar Hirani. Her sister, a filmmaker and her stylist, Rhea Kapoor, also has a movie planned for 2017 titled Veeray Di Wedding, which is reported to feature Kareena Kapoor alongside Sonam.
“It is still premature to speak about Rhea’s film but I am very excited because we always do very empowering movies for women, like Khubsoorat and Aisha. Veeray di Wedding will be just as entertaining and empowering, and it’s for everybody,” she said.
But fashion is where Rhea and Sonam collaborate the most, and Rheson, their latest venture into fashion has been long in the making. The high-street fashion brand is said to feature a mix of styles and clothes aimed at modern, young Indian women. When asked about the launch details, Kapoor turned to her team asking, “This month, right?” to which they responded with a staunch, “Soon”. From what we gathered, the brand will be available in 2017, in stores in India and online.
With her whole family in the entertainment industry — her younger brother Harshvardhan recently made his Bollywood debut — one would expect an average dinner conversation in their home to be different.
Sonam disagreed. “We talk about all the mundane or normal things that regular families talk about. We gossip about people in the family. After 15-16 hours of work, you don’t want to talk about it [work], but it’s a job and we do talk about that as well,” she said, smiling.
The 31-year old fashionista was diagnosed as insulin-resistant (a pre-diabetic condition in which cells are unable to absorb glucose, amino acids and fatty acids) in 2008. She dropped from 90kg and a size 16 to 65kg and a size two, in one year after she realised her weight was one of the major problems preventing her from combating the condition.
Commenting on fashion and size being a constant debate, and the trend of celebrating body types, she said, “Anyone can look beautiful and fashionable, at any size. I don’t like celebrating a body type, thin or fat. You want to walk around until you are 80-85, you can achieve that only by clean and healthy living. There may be a thin person who can run a marathon and a plus-sized person who can run a marathon. As long as you are fit and at a size that you’re comfortable with, it’s OK. If you are an overweight person and you think, ‘It’s OK, I don’t care about being fat and reach for a slice of pizza, that’s not healthy.’ I endorse health regardless of size.”
Sonam commented on how as a young girl she used to be shy and insecure. We asked her what she would tell her younger self.
“Don’t stop reading, don’t stop believing in yourself,” she says, “You’ll find someone amazing even if the boy right now broke your heart. Your 20s may not be that great, but your 30s are amazing.”
QUICK-FIRE WITH SONAM KAPOOR
Travel wishlist: Japan, Vietnam and Cambodia
Favourite accessory: Watches — I try and wear them with everything, even gowns, but my sister doesn’t let me
Book on your night table: Being Hindu by Hindol Sengupta
One thing you can’t get enough of: Chocolate
Pet passion: Dancing
One woman who inspires you: My sister, Rhea
Most played song or artist on your phone: Bob Marley
Most fashionable person/s in Bollywood: Kalki, she has her own style; the singer Anushka; and my father — my father is a very fashionable man
Daily mantra: It’s going to be an amazing day
