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MUMBAI: When it comes to criticism, Sonam Kapoor has had more than her fair share. Even before her 2007 debut in Saawariya, she was written off as one of those star kids with that sense of entitlement. And, really, no one can ignore those juicy sound bites of hers, sought out with glee by the media and received with bemusement by the fraternity.
"I?ve definitely grown a thicker skin since I joined the industry," she says quietly. "I?ve been financially independent since I was 18 years old. I live with my parents, but I support my team with my own earnings."
She further adds, "I wanted to get rid of all the negativity around me," she says. "I purged my Black-Berry contacts, re-evaluated my career, looked at the movies I was signing and met with a nutritionist."
THE BODY
Her new lithe and light avatar is a far cry from the 86 kilograms she weighed a few years ago.
Suffice it to say, she has never looked better. "I eat every two hours, and I eat everything-two pieces of chocolate a day, a glass of wine when I want... I didn?t want to become a stick figure; it really doesn?t work in the industry. I was determined that in a year I would be in the best shape of my life. I wanted to look good in what I wear."
THE LOOK
At the cover shoot (her fourth for Vogue India), it?s the first time Kapoor has been so comfortable with showing off her shape.
"Everyone always asks me, why don?t you just wear simple jeans and a tee? What they don?t understand is that you need the best body to wear that. I never had the perfect 10, and I could never get away with a minimal Calvin Klein silhouette."
It?s often said that if Kapoor spent as much time on her acting as she did on her wardrobe, she would be in a different league. "It doesn?t bother me," she shrugs. "When I started, there were no stylists. It was all the stereotypical heroine look-highlighted hair, tight dresses, heavy Indian wear. I did start a new trend. Now everyone has started experimenting with their hair and clothes and there?s a reason for that."
Her paparazzi shots are pounced upon by a hundred blogs examining her every shoe and bracelet. For designers she?s played showstopper and muse, model and cheerleader. There?s no denying that Kapoor?s a risk-taker, one who brought a distinct point of view to a rather sombre red carpet.
THE PLAN
The films lining her kitty will see her as a JNU student leader in Raanjhanaa with Dhanush, a corporate banker in YRF?s latest with Ayushmann Khurrana, a traditionally attired Sikhni in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, a "bohemian girl who loves dancing at Hilltop in Goa" in Khoobsurat.
Whether it?s the grunge of her off-duty life to the polish of her professional appearances, Kapoor dresses to suit her mood, herself, her beliefs. This is also, then, what makes her a style icon of the new India, the top of Vogue?s first-ever Style List. What you see is what you get. Her life, she is proud of saying, is an open book.
Read more about Sonam Kapoor in Vogue India?s June, 2013, issue, which hits stands on May 31st, 2013.
