Sonam Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor (pronounced [so:n@m k@|pu:r]; born 9 June 1985) is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. The daughter of actor Anil Kapoor, she is cited in the media as one of the most fashionable Indian celebrities.

Kapoor began a career in film by assisting director Sanjay Leela Bhansali on his 2005 drama film Black. She made her acting debut in 2007 with Bhansali's romance film Saawariya opposite Ranbir Kapoor. Though unsuccessful at the box office, Kapoor's performance earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. She subsequently featured in the offbeat drama Delhi-6 (2009) and had her first commercial success with the romantic comedy I Hate Luv Storys (2010). After a series of unsuccessful films, Kapoor garnered praise and several Best Actress nominations (including Filmfare) for portraying a leading role in the romantic drama Raanjhanaa (2013). She also featured briefly in the highly successful biographical sports film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013).

Alongside her acting career, Kapoor supports numerous charities and causes, and is a celebrity endorser for brands and products.

o 2.3.1 Upcoming projects

Early life

Kapoor was born in the suburb of Chembur, Mumbai on 9 June 1985. She is the daughter of actor Anil Kapoor and ex-model Sunita Kapoor and the granddaughter of filmmaker Surinder Kapoor. The family moved to a house in the suburb of Juhu, where her parents still reside, when she was one month old. Kapoor is the eldest of three children; the others are sister Rhea Kapoor and brother Harshvardhan. She is the niece of producer Boney Kapoor, actor Sanjay Kapoor and producer Sandeep Marwah. Producer Mona Shourie Kapoor and actress Sridevi are her aunts. She is also the first cousin of actor, Arjun Kapoor, Mohit Marwah and cousin of actor Ranveer Singh on her mother's side.

She attended the Arya Vidya Mandir school in Juhu and then enrolled in the United World College of South East Asia, a boarding school in Singapore, to do her International Baccalaureate. She studied theatre and arts in Singapore for 2 years. She also studied Political Science and Economics from University of East London. She speaks English, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Marathi and is a well trained classical dancer.

She was diagnosed as a borderline diabetic during her teenage years.

Career

2004-08: Early work and film debut

Kapoor alongside Ranbir Kapoor, Salman Khan & Rani Mukherjee at the audio release of Saawariya.

Before starting her career off as an actress, Sonam and Ranbir Kapoor worked as assistant directors under Sanjay Leela Bhansali in 2004, and assisted him during the making of his film, Black which was released in early 2005.

As she was obese as a child, before making her acting debut, on Bhansali's request, Kapoor lost approx. 35 kg in order to appear fitter. She made her acting debut alongside newcomer Ranbir Kapoor in Bhansali's Saawariya, which released on November 9, 2007. Though the film failed to do well at the box office, her performance received mainly poisitive to mixed reviews by critics. Martin D'Souza, of GlamSham, said she "matches Ranbir, step for step" and called her a "gorgeous looker", and said she "carries off her role with aplomb". D'Souza also praised Kapoor's emotions and confidence, and said she was "born to act". Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama was a bit more critical however, saying, "Sonam Kapoor is an average actor. However, her role doesn't give her the opportunity to display histrionics. She looks gorgeous at places, but plain ordinary at times."

Though Kapoor had no release in 2008, she was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for her performance in Saawariya. However she eventually lost out to actress Deepika Padukone, who won the award for Om Shanti Om, which, coincidentally was released alongside Saawariya.

2009-12: Breakthrough and professional setbacks

In 2009, Kapoor appeared in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Delhi-6, opposite Abhishek Bachchan. The film flopped at the box office and received mixed critical reviews, but her performance received immense critical praise, and the film eventually acted as a turning point in her career. Critic Rajeev Masand commented, "Sonam Kapoor is the revelation in Delhi 6. She's a firecracker, instinctive and uninhibited in what isn't even a conventional female lead". Sonia Chopra, film criric from Rediff commented, "Sonam Kapoor is an earnest and effortless performer so she does make you like the character somewhat, despite the typical Delhi-girl recipe". Kapoor promoting I Hate Luv Storys on 92.7 BIG FM

In 2010, she appeared in Punit Malhotra's I Hate Luv Storys opposite Imran Khan. The film went on to become her first box office success, collecting over INR 400 million (US$6.6 million) at the domestic box office. Kapoor also garnered positive reviews for her performance as film critic Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama commented saying, "Sonam is a revelation. From salwars [Saawariya, Delhi 6] to skirts in I Hate Luv Storys, Sonam finally gets a role that does justice to her as an actress. The ease and class with which she carries off the glam look is fantastic. She's like a whiff of fresh air and you actually wonder, is she the same girl from Saawariya and Delhi 6? In fact, I Hate Luv Storys will only multiply Imran and Sonam's fan base manifold." Komal Nahta also praised her performance, saying, "Sonam Kapoor does an excellent job. She gets into the skin of the character and shines in both, light as well as dramatic, scenes. She also looks very desirable".

She next appeared in the romantic comedy, Aisha, opposite Abhay Deol, which was a decent success at the box office, as it was declared an "average" grosser. Kapoor also received mainly positive to mixed reviews for her performance. Film critic Sonia Chopra of Sify.com gave a favourable review stating, "Sonam Kapoor gives an ace performance as the somewhat nasty-sometimes angelic Aisha. With this role rendered so perfectly, Sonam has proven herself to be an actor to watch out for, capable of belting out an entire range of emotions". NDTV Movies also gave a positive review as they wrote, "But the film belongs to Sonam Kapoor, make no mistake of that. She makes the best of a rather rare opportunity for an Indian leading lady to be part of a Bollywood film that salutes Victorian mores and Delhi's elitist affectations in one clean cool sweep". However, Rajeev Masand of IBN Live only gave a mixed review, as he said, "...doesn't help that Sonam Kapoor offers a cardboard cutout personality to the lead. She plays the airhead convincingly and pulls off the flighty princess part, but flounders when it comes to drumming up tears, anger or hurt", after criticising the writing of the character. Kapoor promoting Mausam on the sets of Kaun Banega Crorepati.

Sonam's first release in 2011, Thank You was a critical failure, although was a moderate success at the box office, as its collections surpassed the INR 450 million (US$7.5 million) mark. Kapoor's performance however, was panned by most critics, with Nikhat Kazmi of Times Of India saying she looks "terribly out of sync".

Her second film of the year was the romance film Mausam, in which she and co-star Shahid Kapoor had four different looks representing each of the four seasons. The film received mixed reviews and was a failure at the box office. However, Kapoor's performance was appreciated by most prominent critics. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV commented, "Sonam Kapoor may still have some way to go as an actress, but she conveys the essential vulnerability of a girl forever under duress, bringing out just the right mix of feminine fragility and native resolve." Taran Adarsh noted, "For Sonam, MAUSAM will prove to be a turning point in her career. Astonishing -- that would be the right word to describe her work this time around. The confidence with which she handles the distinct characterization speaks volumes".

The same year, she made an appearance at the 64th Cannes Film Festival representing L'Oréal, the brand she endorses in India.

Her first release of 2012 is Players, a remake of The Italian Job, alongside Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu and Neil Nitin Mukesh. The film received mixed to negative reviews and didn't do well at the box office. Her performance received mainly mixed reviews from top critics. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama stated that, "It's an image transformation for Sonam in Players. She has never done a full-on glamorous role before and Players should change the perception. However, the rawness, as an actor, shows in a variety of scenes." Later that year, Kapoor made her second appearance at the Cannes Film Festival.

2013-present: Success and recent work

Kapoor made her third appearance at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2013, representing not only L'Oréal, but also some Indian brands (dress by Huemn and jewellery by Suhani Pittie).

Her first release of 2013, Raanjhanaa, opened to a positive critical reception and proved to be a commercial success, grossing approx. INR 1.2 billion (US$20 million) at the Indian box office. Kapoor's portrayal of Zoya Haider, a headstrong but emotional middle class girl, earned her a positive critical reception, with Komal Nahta saying that "Sonam Kapoor looks very pretty and plays Zoya beautifully. The character of Zoya has tremendous range and Sonam does full justice to it. Her transition is amazing." Rajeev Masand adds that "[Kapoor] does some of her best work here, going smoothly from innocent to manipulative to cynical, without ever losing Zoya's inherent vulnerability." For her performance in the film, Kapoor has been nominated for "Best Actress" at several award ceremonies, including the prestigious Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Kapoor alongside co-star Dhanush at the launch of Raanjhanaa.

Her next appearance was for the biographical sports film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag opposite Farhan Akhtar and Meesha Shafi, where she played the small role of Akhtar's initial love interest. The film opened to tremendous critical acclaim and was termed as a major box office success, receiving "blockbuster" status. Moreover, her performance also met with positive reviews. Mohar Basu of entertainment site Koi Moi wrote, "Sonam Kapoor has a lovely tinge in her little role in her limited screen time, she will flatter you enough that you actually feel bad that Milkha and Biro eventually part ways!". Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama also mentioned, "Sonam puts her best foot forward as well. Although the character is brief, she shines in those pertinent moments nonetheless". Gayatri Shankar of Zee News stated, "Sonam, though has very little screen time, does her bit quite well". Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is also Kapoor's biggest commercial success to date.^citation needed]

Kapoor's first release of 2014 was Yash Raj Film's romantic comedy Bewakoofiyaan, opposite Ayushmann Khurrana and Rishi Kapoor. Kapoor received generally positive reviews for her performance. Critic Subhash K. Jha wrote, "Sonam as the girl torn between an autocratic dad and unreasonable lover is so in-character you wonder whether the role and its fetish for designer labels were written specially for her". A review published in Hindustan Times stated, "Sonam Kapoor gets into the skin of her character very well. Her performances are more in control now, compared to her previous films such as Aisha and Players".

Upcoming projects

As of July 2014, Kapoor has several projects in development. She has completed work on Rhea Kapoor's Khoobsurat, a remake of the 1980 film of the same name, opposite Pakistani actor Fawad Afzal Khan. Kapoor is currently shooting for Arbaaz Khan's Dolly Ki Doli, where she will feature alongside Pulkit Samrat, Rajkummar Rao and Varun Sharma, as a runaway bride. In preperation for her role, Kapoor has attended acting workshops for the film, along with the rest of the cast. Kapoor has also began shooting for Sooraj R. Barjatya's Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, opposite Salman Khan, and has confirmed her presence in the film adaptation of Anuja Chauhan's novel, Battle For Bittora, which is currenty in pre-production stages and is expected to begin filming in late 2014.

Other work

Philanthropy

Kapoor at the 2014 L'Oréal Paris Femina Women Awards

In 2009, Kapoor participated in the International Indian Film Academy Awards, also known as "IIFA" charity fashion show.

In 2012, Kapoor asked for fans to donate to the Ogaan Cancer Foundation for her birthday. They also collaborated to create an awareness for breast cancer.

Endorsements

Kapoor says she only endorses in the brands she believes in. Kapoor has endorsed brands such as Electrolux, Spice Mobile, Cera, Lux, Colgate Visible White, Signature and Mont Blanc. She has also endorsed for an international skin care brand and a brand with her father, Anil Kapoor. Kapoor has also shot for a diamond jewellery print ad and commercial, which is a sub-brand of Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council. Kapoor is also currently the face of an international cosmetic and beauty brand L'Oreal. In early 2014, Kapoor appeared began endorsing Oppo Mobile, and soon after appeared in approx. a three minute commercial opposite Hrithik Roshan to promote the brand. According to reports, Kapoor's fee for endorsements is INR 30 million (US$500,000), thus making her one of the highest paid celebrities for endorsements in India. She has also garnered international recognition as a spokesperson for the French beauty brand, L'Oréal.

In the media

Public image

Due to her being from a film background, Kapoor has always been in the media spotlight since a young age. Her debut alongside Ranbir Kapoor was also heavily hyped due to the stated reason. Kapoor is known for having a "outspoken" and "bold" personality, as perceived from various media interactions, how she presents herself in public and her choice of films. Since the release of Aisha (2010), Kapoor has been widely recognised as a "fashionista", due to her unique sense of style. Therefore, she regularly features on fashion magazine covers based in India, such as Stardust and Filmfare. Kapoor was also widely appreciated by Simi Garewal for being a fashionista and for her performances in her films. Kapoor has also featured on the covers of many Indian editions to international magazines such as Vogue, FHM, Maxim, GQ, NOTCH, Grazia, Verve, Elle, Femina, and Harper's Bazaar. Kapoor also tops in best-dressed lists, and constantly attracts media attention for what she wears at events and film promotions.

Galleries of Sonam Kapoor