The release of Masakali 2.0, a remake of the original 2006 song by A.R Rahman for the movie Delhi -6 has brought the Bollywood fashion diva, Sonam Kapoor back in the spotlight. Having just returned from her house in London, with husband Anand Ahuja, Sonam Kapoor has been asked about her reactions to the remake of the original song. Know more about actress Sonam Kapoor, her song Masakali, her debut, her wedding and much more.
Popularly known for her performances in movies like Khoobsurat and Neerja, Sonam Kapoor has won over millions of hearts with her charm and amazing fashion sense, but there is much about her life that is not known to the world, under the glitter and glamour. Most people continue to identify her as famous Bollywood actor, Anil Kapoor’s daughter, but in reality, her life hasn’t always been a cakewalk, unlike what is generally believed for star kids or for people with star parents.
Early Life, Family and Education
Born in Mumbai in the year 1985 to Anil and Sunita Kapoor and has two siblings, Rhea Kapoor, who is a producer and a designer and Brother Harshvardhan Kapoor, who is an aspiring actor. Sonam’s mother, Sunita Kapoor is a former model and designer and her father is a well known Bollywood actor. Her mother wanted her to finish her schooling and education properly before joining the film industry or start pursuing her career as an actress.
She completed her schooling from Arya Vidya Mandir and during her school days, she was a good basketball and rugby player. She is also a trained Kathak and classical dancer and knows Latin ballroom dance, too. Most people don’t know this, but her first ever job was as a waitress in Singapore, when she was just about 15 years old. She had moved to Singapore for her pre university studies, where she had taken up theatre and arts as her majors at the United World College of South East Asia. She went on to attain her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of East London and upon returning to Mumbai midway, she continued her correspondence course from the University of Mumbai.
She has always been open and vocal about her past and her childhood. She has disclosed to media sources about being overweight as a child and how that factor led to her being bullied, humiliated and teased because of her weight. For her debut movie Saawariya in the year 2007, she had to work hard and lose about 35 kg for her role.
She tied the knot with Delhi based designer and entrepreneur, Anand Ahuja, in May 2018 which was the Bollywood wedding of the year and had all the paparazzi, media people, fashion magazines and fans in awe of the fashion forward couple. The wedding ceremony and the wedding party was attended by many Bollywood personalities and known figures such as Amitabh Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor, Karan Johar and Jacqueline Fernandez and many more, who had come to shower their love and blessings on the newlywed couple.
Sonam is also related to star kids Arjun Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor from her paternal family’s side and not many know about this but she is also actor Ranveer Singh’s cousin from her maternal side.
Film Career and More
Sonam’s first part on Bollywood was as an assistant director to Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the year 2005 for his movie Black, starring Rani Mukherjee and Amitabh Bachchan. Director Sanjay Bhansali went ahead and worked with Sonam again in the year 2007 for his movie Saawariya which was the Bollywood debut of not only Sonam, but also of actor Ranbir Kapoor.
Although she has not been a part of many blockbuster hits in the industry, she has still been in the limelight and widely appreciated by fans for her work in movies like Khoobsurat and Neerja. She has also done a series of rom com movies such as Aisha, I Hate Luv Storys, Raanjhana and Thank You and other movies such as Sanju and Veere Di Wedding. She has received the Filmfare Award and the National Film Award for her heart touching role and performance in the movie Neerja. She is also known for her role in the movie Delhi-6 and the remake of the original song Masakali, which Sonam was a major part of; called Masakali 2.0 has attracted a lot of attention from fans and members of the film industry, mostly not in the good way.
Apart from her acting career, she has always wished to be a director and a writer. She is an avid reader and from a young age, she has been reading everything she could get her hands on. She is not only all about glamour and fashion. She has used her persona and name for creating awareness and helping those in need. She has been an advocate for increasing awareness for sensitive issues like breast cancer and LGBTQ+ community rights. She also has an active presence on Twitter to express her support for these causes. Sonam, being overweight as a child and having faced humiliation for her weight in the past, has been spreading awareness and increasing people’s sensitivity on issues such as obesity and how it affects people’s mental health. She has been very open and vocal about her opinions and her struggles for a long time, which makes it everyone, famous or not, to relate to her obstacles and how she overcame them. She is not embarrassed or ashamed of sharing her issues or previous struggles.
She took part in the International India Film Academy Awards (IIFA) to gather aid for widows and orphans of the workers of the Indian film industry. Sonam is also a philanthropist and has raised money for associations and organisations such as PETA, Ogaan Cancer Foundation and was also the ambassador for the Elle Breast Cancer Campaign.
She lives with her husband Anand Ahuja in their London house and because of the lockdown; she had to move back to her Delhi house with her spouse.
Many Bollywood actresses are associated with only glamour, looks and fame but Sonam Kapoor proves that they are much more than that. She is a strong, hard working woman who has been an inspiration for many people because of her strong conviction, personal beliefs and her voicing her opinion against what is wrong.