Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; February 5, 2018)

With her recent professional choices, she may have silenced some of her harshest critics, but there’s a long way to go. Having earned a name for being the most stylish among the young crop of Bollywood stars, Sonam Kapoor, in her 10 years in the industry, has also managed to create a space for herself as an artiste. In a no-holds-barred chat with BT, the actress talks about the lessons learnt under the arc lights, how privilege gives her the opportunity to make brave choices and how the society we live in is deeply misogynistic. Excerpts…

Your film Pad Man chronicles the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, who invented a low-cost sanitary pad-manufacturing machine. He is a man who set out to solve an issue — menstrual hygiene — faced by millions of women in our country. On a lighter note, do you think that the world would be a different place if men menstruated?
Absolutely! We won’t be reproducing as much (laughs). I don’t think that they could have handled it. Talking about Arunachalam Muruganantham, his life is inspiring and it’s amazing to have Akshay Kumar play him in Pad Man. He is one of the leading heroes of commercial cinema and when he is at the helm of affairs, the message reaches far and wide. Plus, it is entertaining as well.

Over the past few years, one has seen you become extremely selective about films. Having spent close to a decade in the industry, would you agree that your career can be categorised into the pre- Neerja and post-Neerja phase?
I disagree, because I think I had a pre-Raanjhanaa and post-Raanjhanaa phase. I would like to give credit to Aanand L Rai (director) and Himanshu Sharma (writer), more than anybody else. Of course, I would also like to take some credit for it (laughs). Before Raanjhanaa, I took a break for one-and-a-half years and that was when I realised that there are two sides to my ambition. One is to be the biggest superstar in the country and the other is to become the best possible artiste and human being that I can be.

As soon as I shifted gears from wanting to be famous to becoming a better actor, I became more successful. That’s the reason I got to work in films like Raanjhanaa, Khoobsurat and Neerja. I am extremely ambitious, but earlier, my ambition was misplaced. A lot of people tell my parents, ‘She is not ambitious enough. She doesn’t have the drive to be the biggest superstar.’ And, my dad (Anil Kapoor) replies, ‘You have no idea how ambitious my daughter is.’ I work very hard, but I do it for the right things. I will kill myself for a film like Neerja and for shooting in a place like Maheshwar for Pad Man. I want to work with artistes and filmmakers who challenge me as an actor and help me become a better artiste. I might not be the most talked-about celebrity, but that’s not what I am gunning for. It’s important that R Balki tells me that a role was written with me in mind or Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra says that he thinks of me first when it comes to casting for his film. That’s the kind of relationship I want with my directors and my audience.

While we have seen an increase in the number of women-oriented subjects, the roles written for heroines in films that are fronted by leading men still leave much to be desired. Do you think that’s changing, albeit very slowly?
I don’t know whether it’s changing or not, but I hope it is. Everybody tells me that I am born with a silver-spoon, and that I have my dad. I know that it gives me an advantage over a lot of young girls out there. And, given my position, if I don’t make brave choices, shame on me! I made those choices because I have a safety net, but I hope that it encourages other women to make braver choices. If I am doing a Neerja and a Veere Di Wedding and refusing to work in films where I am not being paid the same amount as the hero, perhaps I will start something new and set a precedent of sorts. I hope other girls aspire to do the same. I joined the industry when I was 17. I know a lot of girls who have made some stupid choices between the ages of 17 and 25. My parents tell me that I have not made that many mistakes. My 20s were amazing, but honestly, my 30s supersede my 20s. The other thing is, I want to be able to front films with another leading lady, like Kareena Kapoor Khan in Veere Di Wedding. We should set an example that it’s okay to work with other women and understand that another woman is not your enemy. In fact, if you get the support of another woman, there is so much that you can achieve.

In an industry where diplomacy is the keyword, you are known for speaking your mind. However, of late, have you decided to be more politically correct?
I was reading a book on the Ramayana that’s narrated from Ravana’s perspective. I wondered why he was such a hated man, though he was so accomplished. It made me understand that there are always two sides to a story, everything needs to be seen in context. So, when people tell me that I am not as politically incorrect as I used to be, I disagree. I see both sides now and I don’t believe in judging anybody.

That might be the case with you, but generally speaking, haven’t actors clammed up a bit in the past few years? Do they fear being misquoted?
I don’t clam up. I just feel, why should I talk about someone who is not relevant to my life? I can be politically incorrect about things that matter and are going to make a difference. Be it about ridiculous bans, the tax imposed on sanitary napkins or critiquing things that are unjust — I speak up on these things. At times, when I say something, it gets sensationalized because it makes for a good copy, but what I wanted to say gets sidelined. Also, I have never treated journalists as my enemies. I never take offense to anything they say because I know that they are doing their job.

Do you think Bollywood actors will come together and say Time’s Up to sexual offenders, like Hollywood showed its solidarity for survivors of sexual assault at the Golden Globe Awards this year?
I feel we are light years behind Hollywood when it comes to saying #TimesUp for sexual offenders. Eventually, it will happen. If something like that were to happen to me, I would talk about it because I am protected and I am also so-and-so’s daughter/granddaughter/niece/sister. People are scared of misbehaving with me. Two of my closest friends, Swara Bhasker and Jacqueline Fernandez, have had their struggles, but everybody needs to be ready to talk about it. Right now, it’s difficult to do that, given the misogynistic society we live in. India, in general, is male-dominated and subliminally, even women are chauvinistic. During the making of Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, women were not allowed to be make-up artists. Strangely, the men were not against it, but there were women hairdressers who said, ‘Our sons are going to become make-up artists and their jobs will be gone.’ It’s up to the mother to tell her son that he’s not better than a girl, but they are equal. Daughters should also be made to understand their self-worth.

Along with your upcoming releases, there’s also a lot of buzz around your impending marriage. So, are you tying the knot?
Unfortunately for everyone, I have never spoken about my personal life in the last 10 years that I have been in the industry and I will not start doing it now. I cannot comment on whether I am getting married or not. It’s okay if people speculate, I am glad that they are talking about some positive things (laughs).