Actor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja has been living out of a suitcase, constantly shuttling between Delhi and London. But, she admits she’ll always be a “Bombay girl”. “Because of my pregnancy, I didn’t leave my house. [But] when I did, I realized saare roads khod diye hain (laughs). Hopefully, it’s for the best,” she quips, hinting at her recent tweet where she spoke about how “torturous” it is to drive in the city owing to “too much of construction and digging everywhere”.

Sonam, who attended an event on Tuesday, was greeted by paps at the premises. While she is comfortable with her pictures being clicked, she is quite guarded when it comes to her son, Vayu. The actor has requested the paps to not click him and they have obliged, too. “The Indian paparazzi are like that... If you request them not to do something, they won’t do it. I never had a bad experience with the Indian media or the paparazzi,” she asserts.

Citing the example of her mother, Sunita Kapoor, she adds, “My mother asked them to never take her photo, and they don’t. I know the Indian media will not cover him (Vayu) till I allow it.”

Motherhood, she admits, has made her more responsible: “You give time only to what’s important. Your time is basically owned by someone else. My time is mostly for my son and husband (businessman Anand Ahuja). I love my work, that’ll also be an equal priority. Frivolous things aren’t as important.” Ask what classifies as frivolous, and pat comes the response: “Scrolling on Instagram (laughs).”

Mention work, and the 37-year-old says she “doesn’t know what’s going on” in the film industry. However, amid the barrage of negativity Bollywood is facing, Sonam asserts that it’s “important to support each other”.

“You also need to respect your competition. There’s space for everybody. And remember, social media isn’t real,” she signs off.