Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; May 20, 2017)

Sonam Kapoor, ahead of her seventh visit to the French Riviera, spoke to BT about the inevitable red-carpet scrutiny that follows every appearance at Cannes, living out of a suitcase and juggling her professional commitments back home. Excerpts...

By the time our readers see this interview, you'd be on your way to the Cannes Film Festival. It's your seventh year at the French Riviera. Feeling the itch?
(Laughs) No itches, ya! I'm looking forward to the trip. These three days are going to be hectic - it's literally like living out of a suitcase. Even when I return to the bay, I won't have time to rest. I have to head right back to the studios. I'm shooting for Rajkumar Hirani's Sanjay Dutt biopic and R Balki's film Pad Man. There's a deadline to be met and I can't take a break now.

What do you plan to do at the French Riviera?
Take it easy! I have no plans this time. And honestly, there's no time for anything other than the red-carpet appearances and watching a couple of films, all dressed up. My gowns have already reached the venue. I just have to get there, slip into them and look great. It's one of those events where the idea is to not take yourself seriously.

Indian women are scrutinised for their outfits on the red carpet. Does that not worry you?
I'm not worried because I've seldom been criticised for what I wear. The press has been kind to me, and I also don't bash the media for what they write about me. Fashion is not as much about what you wear as it is about your attitude. You wear a great outfit and carry it with befitting attitude, and you've nailed it. The more you fret over things, the more chances of them going haywire. I'm so happy representing India there that I don't over-analyse anything.

Back home, with the National Award for Neerja in your kitty, do you feel a sense of greater responsibility towards your work coupled with a career high of sorts?
I didn't take the lows to my heart and so, I don't take the highs to my head or heart either. Filmmaking is a collaborative process. If something works, it's not your success alone. It's the success of an entire team that worked towards making your performance look great. So, I don't take any credit for whatever I've achieved. Right now, I'm happy with the kind of work coming my way.

When do you start work on Veere Di Wedding?
Once I wrap up my current projects, we'll all plunge into Veere Di Wedding. We should be on floors soon. It's a very special project for Rhea (Kapoor), Ekta (Kapoor), Bebo (Kareena Kapoor Khan) and me.

The delay in rolling the project has fanned rumours...
That's naysayers doing their bit. Those are sexists who are 'spreading' a word about the film. A lot of people can't handle so many strong women collaborating on a film. Our idea is to change the way the industry sees women and the space they're allocated to function. The reason we teamed up with Ekta is that she's a successful woman in her own right. Having said that, we couldn't have helped the delays despite being ready. We couldn't have left Bebo out of the scene just because she was pregnant. She's back on her feet now and will be ready to shoot soon. Rhea and I are such feminists...we would never leave a teammate's side just because she chose to invite a beautiful change into her life. More power to girls!