Sonam Kapoor Ahuja: An Actor To Reckon With

By- Md. Mojahid Raza

Bhubaneswar: 2018 has proved to be a successful year for actor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja. The National Award winning actor had three releases this year- ‘Padman’, ‘Veere Di Wedding’ and ‘Sanju’, all of which have been declared ‘Superhits’. Besides being box office bonanzas, these movies undoubtedly added milestones to her career and further established her position as one of the finest female actors in the industry today.

The 33-year-old, known for films like Delhi-6, Aisha, Raanjhanaa, Khoobsurat, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and Neerja, has always believed in choosing the path less trodden and never identified to any particular genre or image. Be it Aisha where she plays a ‘society-conscious’ match maker from South Delhi’s Defence Colony or Raanjhanaa where she plays a middle-class Muslim girl from Varanasi, Sonam has always managed to win the hearts of the audiences through her honest potrayals. She has proven her credentials as a versatile actor, capable of doing a variety of roles with equal ease. From the Cannes Red Carpet to the streets of Benaras, she has won hearts all over.

Here’s a look at the actor’s releases this year and the characters she portrayed in them-

Padman–

Directed by R Balki, ‘Padman’ was Sonam Kapoor’s first release in 2018. After almost two years of ‘Neerja’, Sonam appeared in this Akshay Kumar starrer where she played the role of a Delhi Girl, Pari Walia who helps Kumar in achieving his dreams. As a friend and confidante of Laxmikanth, (played by Akshay) she accompanies him on his journey of installing sanitary pad vending machines in rural pockets of the country; eventually falling in love with him. Sonam plays the foil and eventual love-interest to Akshay’s character in the film. While he is a simpleton from a village, she is a modern, free-spirited girl from the city. Also starring Radhika Apte, the film went on to earn Rs 120 crore globally, becoming one of the highest grossing films of 2018.

 Veere Di Wedding-

Co-starring alongside Kareena, Swara Bhasker and Shikha Talsania, Sonam played the supporting role of Avni Sharma who is waiting for a ‘Prince Charming’ to enter her life so that she can get engaged and settle down. Despite playing a secondary role, Sonam perfectly brought out the innocence of Avni and her dejection at being turned down by a guy she likes. In the movie, she plays an ever-happy girl who always stands by her friends and supports them through thick and thin. People especially loved her ‘blow-hot-blow-cold’ banter with Vishwas Kinni’s Bhandari as he relentlessly tries to woo her. Grossing 150 crore worldwide, Veere Di Wedding went on to become the highest grossing film starring an all female cast, sans any popular male actor.

Also Read: Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Bridal Outfit From ‘Veere Di Wedding’ Is Setting ‘Wedding Fashion’ Goals

Sanju-

After Veere Di Wedding, Kapoor was next seen in Rajkumar Hirani ‘s Sanjay Dutt biopic ‘Sanju’ as one of Dutt’s love interests. She played the role of Ruby who is madly in love with Ranbir Kapoor but at the same time despises his addiction to alcohol and drugs. Film analyst Anna M. M. Vetticad described Sonam’s portrayal of her small role “sweet”. On the other hand, Rajeev Masand in his review wrote that Sonam “hit the right notes as Sanjay Dutt’s partner”. Sanju broke several box-office records, becoming one of the highest-grossing Indian films.

Also Read: Sonam Kapoor Ahuja Shoots For Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga In Delhi

After a winning spree at the box office, Sonam has an interesting line-up of films coming up. She will next be seen in ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga’ where stars alongside father Anil Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao and Juhi Chawla. Directed by Shelly Chopra Dhar, the movie has Sonam playing the role of Sweety Chaudhary, a quintessential Punjabi girl in love with a Muslim man whose life changes when she discovers secrets about her father’s life.

Apart from ‘ELKDTAL’, Sonam will also star in Abhishek Sharma’s ‘The Zoya Factor’ which is a film adaptation of Anuja Chauhan’s novel of the same name. The movie also stars popular South Actor Dilqueer Salman of Karwaan fame and is slated to release in April 2019.