The beauty and her battalion

Sonam Kapoor on beauty, being Photoshop-ed, the space for simple films, and fairytale princesses

Royal Misfit: Sonam Kapoor Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

It’s not everyday that a beautiful actor comes looking stunning on to stage and goes about telling people not to keep her as their standard of beauty, because it is really an hour’s effort put in by other people. And that her pictures published are modified!

Trust Sonam Kapoor to come up with something like that. And then, she also admits how she always gets into trouble for being honest.

Dressed in a printed strapless dress and wearing sky high teal stilettos, Sonam Kapoor waltzed into Bangalore for her promotional tour of her latest film

Khoobsurat , which releases this Friday, looking very much a Disney princess. But in the film (a Disney production), co-produced by her actor-father Anil Kapoor and sister Rhea Kapoor among others, she plays a clumsy physiotherapist who sets a royal family right, even as the prince (played by Pakistani actor Fawad Khan) falls in love with her.

“It’s inspired by the genre of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s films. We thought there is a space for simple films that are easy to watch,” offers Sonam. The film is a present-day take on Mukherjee’s own

Khubsoorat that starred Rekha.

“There’s a certain image of me that I want to project to young girls. But let me tell you that when I wake up every morning, I’m a disaster. I take an hour to get ready. My pictures in magazines are usually Photoshop-ed and even in films I’m touched up. I’m completely honest, and I get into a lot of trouble for it. But let me tell you I have a battalion working on me; my make-up person and nutritionist always travel with me. What’s inside you is real. Don’t get carried away with my image of Khoobsurat . What’s on magazine covers isn’t real.”

“With

Khoobsurat we’re trying the classy-massy movie. Like Hrishikesh Mukherje who took class, and middle-class India and made beautiful simple stories like

Mili,

Guddi, and

Khubsoorat — they were classy films with simple storylines that everybody could watch.”

While it’s their second family production (they made Aisha together in 2010), Sonam says she’s not sure if acting in a family production means more responsibility.

“I think once I act and have done my job to the best of my ability it’s up to the producers to figure out how to sell the film,” she laughs heartily.

“But yeah I’m nervous about the film. It’s my sister who’s produced the film, and more than anything else, I want her to succeed.”

When will she act with her father? “It’s going to be a while. I would love to work with my dad but I feel that after a certain point, you need to find the right role and right director. And also it will be difficult for me to do something with my father. It’s difficult working with your parents so I’m very happy in my space right now.”

Sonam says she’s a huge fan of yesteryear heroines. “I think all of us should be. We should get inspired by the greats. I’m a huge fan of Nutan, Rekha, Waheeda Rehman, and Madhubala. I always refer to them. I always use a lot of Lata Mangeshkar songs as well to get inspired.”

The family’s production house has bought the rights for Anuja Chauhan’s book Battle for Bittora , and sister Rhea is putting the project together, says Sonam.

She disagrees that fairy tales endorse a false perception of beauty. Even Khoobsurat talks of a “royal misfit” she points out the tagline on the film’s poster. Dripping sarcasm and masking it with the sweetest of smiles, she says “If you’ve seen Disney films in the last 15 years, which I’m sure you haven’t, it’s all about the ability to be yourself.”