It’s not everyday that director Shankar decides to release a film under his S Pictures banner. And when he made that decision about Kappal, the happiest was its heroine, debutante Sonam Bajwa. “When I met Shankar sir, he told me I had done well in the film. First of all, meeting the director of Robot and Sivaji was itself something big. Hearing words of praise from him was the icing on the cake!” says Sonam.
Sonam is paired opposite Vaibhav in her debut Tamil flick. But facing the camera is not something new for the Nainital-born Punjabi actor. In a chat with City Express, Sonam reveals how her fascination for showbiz led to a career in films.
“I’ve acted in two Punjabi films. One of them titled Punjab 1984 was released in June and was a huge hit. Films are not new to me. But believe it or not, I was more interested in being a Miss India than an actor. That’s why I moved to Mumbai and took part in the Miss India 2012 contest,” she says .
Though she didn’t win the title, she was one of the finalists. And this changed her life. Film and ad offers poured in. “I was unsure whether to take it up. Since I always liked to be in front of the camera, I thought this was a good opportunity to fulfill my dream, though I missed the Miss India bandwagon!”
Two Punjabi films and several TVCs later, Sonam now finds herself in Kollywood. She was spotted by director Karthik in an audition in Mumbai.
In Kappal, Sonam plays a modern girl who falls for a village boy. She enjoyed the variety of looks she got to portray — from going ultra glam to playing a Tamil bride. Learning pages of Tamil dialogues was the tough part. “I have to thank Vaibhav for his patience. I would goof up my lines but he would patiently give re-takes with me. Though the atmosphere was new to me, the team was good fun,” she says with a grin. Her best moments on sets were in the scenes which had VTV Ganesh. “The way he would look and talk got us all laughing, so much so that it was tough to shoot after that!”
While Shankar is releasing her debut film, Vijay, Vikram and AR Rahman made their presence at the audio launch. “It’s more than a dream come true for me!” Sonam signs off.