In less than three days, Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor is going to be catapulted into the spotlight as she gets married to her sweetheart, businessman Anand Ahuja in Mumbai.
I am 32-years-old and I am very proud to say so. I have earned every bit of those years and earned every bit of those lines in my life. I enjoy who I am and hope I’ve become a better person.
The gregarious star, who’s notorious for not speaking about her personal life to the media, will have all eyes on her as she enjoys the princess 2.0 moment of her life on May 8.
She was already on a roll when she jetted down to Dubai a few weeks ago.
Sonam Kapoor and Christoph J. Grainger-Herr during the celebration of 150 years of IWC at Burj Khalifa.
When Gulf News tabloid! met her last month-end for a sit-down interview ahead of the 150th anniversary of the luxury watch brand IWC Schaffhausen, the Veere Di Wedding star seemed to already be in a celebratory mode.
Her corset-flared emerald green gown by Saudi designer Mohammad Ashi was almost like she was subtly channelling her inner princess, a role that she has to own soon in real life.
Sonam’s Veere Di Wedding “incredible” cast, from left, Swara Bhaskar, Shikha Talsania, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Sonam.
She wasn’t keen to speak about her marriage plans, but she made a couple of things crystal clear.
Women in their 30s have a better understanding of who they truly are and she isn’t going to be a traditional career-averse housewife when she ties the knot.
Every step in her life will be taken with “grace, dignity and joy, she told us.
While we raise a toast to that, she is also keen to take one for the women’s team around the world.
“The only thing I want to put out there is that recently I have been asked a lot of questions that are very regressive and sexist. Lots of people have asked me: ‘now that you are getting married or if you are getting married, will you stop working?’. Would you ever ask a man that question? It’s ridiculous and insulting,” said Kapoor.
All she let us in on is that “meeting Anand” went down as one of the most special phases in her eventful life.
It isn’t much, but she was game to answer all else. Here are the bride-to-be’s thoughts on matters that go beyond speculating which designer she may wear for her big day or whether she would shuttle between Mumbai, Delhi and London after her marriage.
Here’s Kapoor spilling her inner-most thoughts on…
The recent revelation in her life:
“Women know themselves truly only in their 30s. Before that, we are still grappling with who we think we are. When we hit our 30s, we know who we are and we have a better understanding of what we want. We start evolving as people. I am 32-years-old and I am very proud to say so. I have earned every bit of those years and earned every bit of those lines in my life. I enjoy who I am and I hope I have become a better person after I have understood what I like and don’t like.”
Her favourite moments in her life:
“We are here to celebrate 150 years of IWC, which is in an incredible classic brand of watches and it feels great to be in Dubai again. Regarding my favourite phases in my life, I believe in evolution. I believe in change and I believe in constantly moving forward. But I would love to capture some moments that have been super special to me. Moments like winning the National Award or meeting a few people who are very special to me like meeting Anand [Ahuja], spending time with my sister or going for walks with my father. These memories are incredible moments of my life. I am just doing a film with my dad and my first scene with him or the first time I danced or a song with him will always remain special to me. I have them in my heart and these memories will never die.”
Her film ‘Veere Di Wedding’, which releases in the UAE on May 31:
“It’s a beautiful film about four incredible women in their late 20s and early 30s. These women are in a very difficult stage in their lives and are in different stages of their relationship and marital status. One is married, the other is about to get divorced and there is another friend who’s about to get married and the fourth one is unmarried.”
Her understanding of the roles written for women in Bollywood:
“Good roles are far and in-between. We aren’t spoilt for choice when it comes to good roles, but spoilt for choice when it comes to movies. There should be more roles written for women that have a lot more gravitas, even if it’s a 20-minute role. Look at my role in Delhi-6, it wasn’t the longest role but it had such depth and gravitas. While I am excited about my films like Sanju, Zoya Factor and Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Tho, I wish I could do more roles that I could chew into. While it’s tempting to do many movies, I don’t want to be in a situation where I look back 10 years down the line and wonder why I did that film. My goal is to be proud of each and every film that I have acted in.”
Her doing her bit for the women out there:
“For many years in India, until very recently, female make-up artists weren’t allowed to work. But I still hired Namrata Soni, who I believe was the best [make-up artiste] in my country. I refused to work with anyone else not because she was a woman but because she was the best. I am a feminist who believes that everyone should be given the same opportunities.”
Her thoughts on Asifa Banu, the eight-year-old girl who was brutally gang-raped and murdered in Indian-administered Kashmir:
“I have always had a voice when it comes to such incidents. The positive side is that everyone is speaking out now… This is a deep-rooted problem in our country because of lack of education and awareness. There’s a misogynistic mindset and making them understand that you cannot look at women as a commodity or as someone subservient to you will help. I know many parents who bring up their sons and daughters differently. People have to be educated to change this mindset.”
Sexism in Bollywood:
“Sexism and racism is rampant everywhere. The only way to fight against it is to speak about it and stand up for what you believe in right.”
On her role in Rheson, her own fashion label:
“We [Sonam and her sister Rhea] own the brand. Shoppers Stop manufactures it, but we design together. Though we aren’t fashion designers, we are involved in every aspect. We do the sampling and we understand what patterns look good on real women. It’s our baby and our idea.”
The wedding march
Preparations are in full swing at the Sonam Kapoor household in Mumbai. While the families — Kapoor and Ahujas — sent out a statement confirming the “private and intimate” wedding of Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja on May 8 in India, there’s a lot more action going on in their worlds.
Ahead of Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja’s flashy wedding, Gulf News tabloid! has put together a list of what we know so far about the big day…
- Ace choreographer Farah Khan was putting her best foot forward when it came to teaching Kapoor and her cousins a few Bollywood moves for the sangeet ceremony, ahead of the wedding ritual. However, her recent leg fracture may throw a spanner into the works.
- Father of the bride Anil Kapoor is also busy practising steps for songs from his film Ram Lakhan (My Name Is Lakhan) and Dil Dhadakne Do (Gallan Gudiyan).
- Actors including Ranveer Singh and Sonam’s cousin Arjun Kapoor are likely to perform a few dance numbers for the bride and the groom, while Jhanvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor will perform to songs that starred their mother Sridevi, who died earlier this year.
- Reports also claim that designer Raghavendra Rathore has been roped in to design the outfit for the groom and his party.
- The mehendi ceremony is likely to be held in Kapoor’s 7,000 square-feet duplex apartment in Bandra in Mumbai, while the wedding will be held at the heritage mansion of Sonam’s aunt Kavita Singh.
- Initially they had planned a destination wedding, but the Kapoors decided to hold the wedding in Mumbai so that Sonam Kapoor’s grandmother could attend.