Sonam looked like she had just walked in straight out of a Vogue magazine, wearing a designer white shirt and pants, her hair all neatly tied and in place. But what was surprising was the way Sonam spoke like a patriotic Indian! In an interview with HFT, Sonam gave us a glimpse of the typical Urban Indian girl with a lot of ‘Indianness’ about her that was evident from the way she spoke passionately about India and especially Indian Women. Since there is already so much being written about her upcoming film PadMan and her character in the film etc. we thought why not talk about things beyond PadMan.
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After Neerja, PadMan is another biopic that Sonam is a part of, however unlike Neerja where she essayed the role of the air hostess Neerja Bhanot, who saved the lives of many people during a hijack,in PadMan Sonam’s character is the only fictional one. When I asked her about the same Sonam laughs and says,”All my directors like to do that, I think they just like to cast me in their films. Having said that, the whole spirit of the film is what it is inspired by, everybody is fictional. It is just an inspiration from their story. We’ve taken a story and re-created it.”
Sonam goes on to add it’s not just biopics but that she likes doing films where some kind of a positive change in society can be advocated.”I believe that whenever you are part of a story or a part of something that will advocate a change it is important. Like Neerja, and PadMan,then there is Veere Di Wedding,” adds Sonam.
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Besides that Sonam informs that she is also doing films like Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Ek Ladki Ko Dekha and Zoya Factor.“I do all kinds of films not thinking this is a biopic but what is going to inspire me to be a better artist or that I will be proud of the story that i am a part of. In India we have so many inspiring stories, I am very inspired by what India stands for and I am not talking about Nationalistic India. I am talking about India as a whole, India of different religions and different cultures, different kinds of people. I am very proud to be Indian and be a part of those kind of films,” says Sonam.
She also clarifies saying that even though she might dress up in the most modern designer outfits from around the world at heart she is very Indian. She says,“I might dress like this but any of the movies that I do are far reaching and they are all grounded. Whether it’s the story of a girl from Bandra in Mumbai or a story of a Zoya from Benaras or a princess from Rajasthan, Mili from Delhi there are all stories of girls from India. They are all girls who are very rooted, they might be modern Indian girls or Indian girls from small towns or girls from villages, there has to be something that is India centric because I am a very Indian girl. That quality has to be there in every film, it has to be a story that resonates with the audience. They should feel this is our story and we are proud of it! That feeling of pride needs to be there.”
When she’s questioned about why the audience comes to watch such films only if a known face is playing the part, Sonam says,“ As Indians we don’t have it easy, it’s not a very very rich country. We have difficult lives so when we go to the cinema, you want to see something that gives you joy and uplifts you. With that if you have a story which means something and a celebrity with that, I think it’s a great combination. It’s great that Akshay Kumar or Aamir Khan who are using their stardom to do something amazing and make people aware of social issues. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”
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On her varied choice of films, Sonam says that it is important for her to do both kinds of films, like Neerja and also one for the masses like a Prem Ratan Dhan Payo because she feels it is the same audience who have watched her in Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and enjoyed her work, who will be encouraged to watch her in Neerja also. She says, “I also have to do a film like Prem Ratan Dhan Payo because there is a reach. Neerja gave producers more confidence to make such films. “
While we totally agree with what Sonam has to say, we also believe that Neerja has been one of her best performances and she gained the audiences confidence post Neerja. We hope PadMan does the same for her too.
Here’s Wishing her all the best for PadMan!
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