Playing Aayat was challenging: Sonam

Sonam Kapoor debut movie may not have lived up to the box-office expectations, but it was enough to cement her position in the showbiz terra firma. Next came films like 'Delhi-6', 'I Hate Luv Storys' which set her up prominently as a romantic heroine whereas 'Aisha' proved that this glamour girl has an impeccable fashion sense too (‘be confident and don’t dress to impress’ is her tip). But this gorgeous actress can also be quite sassy if you rub her the wrong way. ('Who told you I don’t get along with Shahid?' when asked about their rumoured not-so friendly equation).  As she readies for her upcoming release 'Mausam', Sonam says that her role is similar to Nutan’s in ‘Bandini’.  In a free wheeling chat with Yahoo! Movies, the actress tells us why playing Aayat was more challenging than any other role. 

Excerpts from the interview:

What inspired you to be a part of ‘Mausam’?
‘Mausam’ is a love story and this is the first time I am playing a quintessential romantic heroine. It is a love story which progresses through the ages and this gave me a scope to show different shades of emotions.

Shahid-Sonam pen letters

How is it different from the other roles you have played?
Well, the film is about the romance between two people who are torn apart by the world. Aayat is like a classic Jane Austin heroine who is strong and delicate at the same time. She has a sense of quiet which is similar to Nutan’s character in ‘Bandini’. In most of my films, I have played characters who are bubbly and effervescing.  This is for the first time I am experimenting with subtlety. Believe me, dancing to Punjabi music is much easy but portraying such a role is very challenging.

Shahid Kapur’s new role

Every actor has a comfort zone when it comes to roles. What’s yours?  
I have never done a film for a heck of it. Each role has been different. It is very easy to fall in the trap of comfort. So I need to constantly challenge myself and evolve as an actor and I would like to play different roles.
   
How was it working with Pankaj Kapur? There were reports that he was quite hard on you… 

It was very inspiring to work with someone like Pankaj ji since he is a fabulous actor and you can almost see the expressions flitting across his face as he explains a particular scene. The best thing about him is he knows his actor very well and treats each one differently.

What are you reading right now?
Right now, I am reading Jaya by Devdutt Pattnaik. I am hooked to mythologies for now and next in my list is Amish’s ‘Secret of Nagas’. I am going to re-read ‘Immortals of Meluha’ before starting with the second book.