Since her much-publicized debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's SAAWARIYA in 2007, Sonam has kept shutterbugs aflutter for her acting, yes, but almost more so for her liberating and independent sartorial flair. Movie stars, whether we like it or not, set the fashion mood for the nation. And Sonam, in her short career, has become a fashion tour de force, one of the major trendsetters for a new generation of young women.
Despite her fashionista persona, Sonam is relate-able to many women because she has battled weight, reportedly dropping some 30kg after she finished high school. "I did it the hard way. I exercised and I dieted like a normal human being. I did cardio, weight training, yoga, dancing, anything that made me move.
"I'm very comfortable in what I wear and who I am," she says. Her incredible affinity for clothes ties into the one thing everyone repeatedly mentions when asked about Sonam: that she's "all heart". Anil Kapoor says that his oldest child makes emotional decisions, calling her "impractical". Anamika Khanna says that the stylish star "thinks with her heart". And in an industry rife with squabbles and spats, nary a person has anything unkind to say about her.
Lot of the credit, says dad Anil, goes to Sonam's mother Sunita, who prefers to stay far from the limelight. Her profound influence is the reason Sonam is an avid reader, according to Anil. "When I was courting Sunita, she would finish two books a day. Sonam is the same way. Even now, Sonam goes into a room and doesn't come out for 48 hours, and when we go to check on her, we find that she's been reading the whole time.
As for what they think of his daughter being labeled a style icon, Anil Kapoor says. "It comes naturally to her. My wife was a designer; I remember going to the Ensemble opening 20 years ago. We haven't discouraged it in Sonam. She is first an actor and then a style icon and we are aware of how the two go hand in hand.
She follows fashion blogs like shops online compulsively, and turns to her younger-by-a-year sister Rhea for everything fashion-related. "My sister always played with dolls and dressed them up, and I was like one of her dolls growing up," she jokes, describing their relationship.
The actor herself adds, "I wear what I am feeling. I'm psychotic when it comes to fashion. I'm a proper Gemini, and it depends on my mood and who I am at that point. I have a multiple personality disorder when it comes to fashion." As for being called a style icon, she laughs. "To me Meena Kumari, Madonna, Lady Gaga—these are fashion icons. I don't think I've changed the face of anything yet. I can be inspirational, but an icon? I'm just starting out.
