It’s not everyday that director Shankar decides to release a film under his S Pictures banner. But 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 itself was a huge high. Hearing words of praise from him, was the icing on the cake!” gushes Sonam. Sonam, is paired opposite Vaibhav in her debut flick. But the camera is not new to the Nainital-born Punjabi girl. In a chat with City Express, Sonam reveals how her fascination for showbiz led to a career in films.
“I’ve actually acted in two Punjabi films. One of them titled Punjab 1984 was released in June and was a huge hit. So 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 laughs. Though she didn’t win the title, she was one of the finalists, a fact that changed her life. Film and ad offers poured in. “I was unsure whether to take them up. But I always liked to be in front of the camera, so this was a good opportunity to fulfil my dream, even though I had missed the Miss India bandwagon!” Two Punjabi films and several TVC’s later, Sonam now finds herself in Kollywood, after she was spotted by director Karthik, at an audition in Mumbai.
Sonam plays a modern girl in this romcom, who falls for a village boy. She enjoyed the various looks she got to portray. But learning the language for pages full of dialogues was the tough part. “I have to thank Vaibhav for his patience. I would goof up my lines but he would patiently give retakes,” she grins. Her best moments on sets were those when VTV Ganesh appeared, “The way he would look and talk, would get us all laughing and it was tough to shoot after that!”
For a newbie, she sure is lucky. Not only is Shankar releasing her debut film, but Vijay, Vikram and AR Rahman came for the audio launch. “It’s more than a dream come true for me!” she signs off.