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Mumbai, ”Khoobsurat’ actress Sonam Kapoor feels her fashionista image and off-screen personality sometimes overshadow her identity as an actor.
“People have forgotten that I am an actress, they don’t take me seriously. First it was my dressing sense then my opinionated nature, both have overshadowed my identity of a performer. I can’t change both the things, they are part of me,” Sonam told PTI.
The actress, known for grabbing headlines for her candid nature, says she is proud that unlike other actors, she does not shy away from making her opinions public.
“I will always speak my mind, in fact, I feel many in our industry don’t say what they want to, which is sad. But I can’t be like them,” said the actress, who feels she is underrated in the industry.
“All the directors of mine say I am underrated in the industry. I don’t know what to do about it, I guess I have not restricted myself to a particular image on screen, I have always done different roles. A single image stays with people but I can’t do that,” she said.
Sonam started her Bollywood career with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Saawariya’ (2008), where she played the role of a shy Muslim girl, then portrayed an aspiring singer in Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra’s ‘Delhi-6′ (2009).
She got critical acclaim for her role in ‘Raanjhanaa’ and Indian athlete Milka Singh’s lover in his biopic ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag in 2013.
Sonam is excited for her upcoming home production ‘Khoobsurat’, a remake of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s 1980 comedy of the same name, which starred Rekha in the lead.
“I love the original film and have watched it a lot of times but when we planned to make the film, I decided not to watch it so that I can keep the character fresh. Our film is a classic romantic-comedy,” she said.
Sonam says her upcoming movie fills the gap between mass entertainers and art movies.
“Nowadays, two extreme type of films are made. Either typical masala films, which don’t have great scripts or intellectual films, which become boring for fans.
“There is no category for films which tell a good story in simple way like ‘Chupke Chupke’ or ‘Guddi’. With ‘Khoobsurat’ we are trying to fill that gap,” Sonam said. The actress, who plays role of a clumsy, quirky physician in the film, says the character was difficult to portray as it is closer to her real personality.
“My character of Mili is a simple, easy going and a bit messy person, she is closest to me. I feel it is most difficult to play yourself, so Mili was not easy at all,” she said, adding that her role should not be compared to many bubbly roles played by other actresses.
“I don’t like this word ‘bubbly’. Mili is not at all like that. She is very real and interesting,” Sonam said.
The actress co-stars with Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, who is making his Bollywood debut with ‘Khoobsurat’.
Fawad has made his way into the hearts of Indian audience, with his popular Pakisani television drama ‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai’, which concluded its run on Indian TV this July.
When asked if she feels overshadowed by his growing popularity, Sonam said she is a secure actor.
“Fawad is a talented actor. I am really happy for him. I feel good that he is being loved here and his popularity is increasing. In fact, I feel relieved that I can share the burden of promotion with him.
“If it was some other newcomer everything would have been on me but with Fawad the responsibility and limelight is shared. I want him to do well and to do more films with me. I keep telling Fawad that a lot of women will come to watch ‘Khoobsurat’ just for him,” she said.
