Sonam Kapoor would any day go for handwritten love letters – never mind if she belongs to the tech- savvy generation. The young actress, who takes failures in her stride, feels pure romance has disappeared not only from movies but also from real life.
The 26-year-old believes her latest film, “Mausam”, will help rediscover the old world charm of romance.
“Pure romance is lost somewhere and that’s why we are trying to get that back. I know people will connect to it because someone like me, who lives in this generation, wonders why there aren’t more romantic films,” Sonam told IANS in an interview.
The daughter of actor Anil Kapoor, Sonam entered Bollywood four years ago with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Saawariya” and “Mausam” will be her sixth release.
“I have grown as a person and have developed better relationships with people in these four years, but I have a really long way to go.
“I can be a better actor, a better dancer and a better orator. I think it is all a growth process. I know I can improve and hopefully with each film I have improved,” said Sonam.
After playing an uptown girl in “Aisha”, she will etch the role of a traditional Kashmiri girl who falls in love with a Punjabi boy, played by Shahid Kapoor in “Mausam” directed by Pankaj Kapoor.
“I think in this world where there is terror, political unrest, corruption and even nature is going against us – everything seems to be going wrong. I think there is one thing that is positive and that is love, it’s the only thing that can change people,” she added.
Through Sonam and Shahid’s character, the essence of romance that perhaps dates back to the 1960s or 1970s era is recreated — the film shows how they meet and fall in love and how social, political situations play villain and separate the lovers.
Set for a Sep 16 release, the film is made in a time when youngsters are hooked to mobile phones and prefer expressing themselves through SMS or social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. But in “Mausam”, Sonam and Shahid express their feelings through handwritten love letters.
Sonam, who has also done films like “Delhi 6″, “I Hate Luv Storys” and “Thank You”, feels writing one’s feelings on a piece of paper is the most “charming” and “personal” way of expressing love.
“Today people express their feelings on mails and SMSs. Although technology is cool, it is so impersonal. Even though we are connected to each and everyone, we are so distant at the same time; there is so much dichotomy. It is so superficial.”
“I find it really charming where people can connect on a personal level with you through a handwritten paper. I feel that the bond that gets formed is not only personal, it also gets deeper. Obviously that connect is missing today,” added the 25-year-old.
Sonam has had her share of heartbreaks when her films have failed to create magic at the box office, but the actress is undeterred.
“I don’t consider things as good and bad. It’s about working hard and hoping for the best. If things do not happen for the best, may be it is karma or destiny or it is something that you deserve,” she said.
“I am not bitter about anything. Everybody says you are always so happy and cheerful; this is because I am not affected by what is happening around me. All I want to do is to work. I never fear failure because if you don’t fail you will never know the secret of success,” she added.
However, Sonam admits she still has a “lot of inhibitions about doing certain kind of films, but then I feel I am an actor and should be able to do anything and everything. I am slowly overcoming my inhibitions. It’ll take time but I know I can”.