Sonam Kapoor Interview

“Skydiving is an amazing way to discover oneself. I love all kinds of adventure sports. It thrills and teaches you to enjoy the moment. You know, when you are young, you don’t care about mortality, you believe in invincibility, the thrills and the kicks...”

Even at midnight, Sonam Kapoor bubbles with energy. Her optimism and captivating smile are sort of contagious. Only a few years old in the industry and still in her twenties, she already has the world by its tail. “I would say I have been very lucky. In fact, I am very lucky to have got so much of love from everyone, so many opportunities and such a loving family,” says Sonam, humbly, attributing much to destiny. “Hard work is extremely important but fate and chance also play a role in deciding the outcome,” she believes. Her beliefs  about work also tie in with her romanticism. She is a romantic to the core. She grew up reading cheesy  romances, dreaming about her prince charming, in a room full of Tom Cruise pictures and posters. So, when  she got a chance to meet her teenage crush, she was naturally ecstatic about it. “You know, at one point  when I was a teenager, he was my crush. So when I met him at my dad’s movie premiere (Mission  Impossible 4), it was fantastic! He is so good looking,” gushes Sonam. She adds that, in later years, her  crush was Leonardo Di Caprio but Tom is now back to being her favourite. “Like any other teenager, I loved Tom and Leo and Brad Pitt. When I watched Interview with the Vampire, I was delighted; Tom Cruise  and Brad Pitt in the same frame! Isn’t it any teenage girl’s dream, you know what I mean?” asks she  in her usual zealous style. Moving on from crushes to her dream man, she states he has to be, “An absolute gentleman.

A great guy. A great friend. Should love food and travel. That would be the perfect guy,” she  giggles. You connect to her instantly. Under all the labels of star kid and fashionista, she is just a regular girl.  And she loves food and travelling too. One of her favourite destinations is Rome, because of its historical  value, rich past, interesting culture and aesthetic appeal. Also because, “there is so much beauty to see and  enjoy there”. Well, also because she loves vintage. Her Mausam co-star, Shahid Kapoor, once said that   anyone can sell Sonam junk in the name of vintage. She only laughs and says that a vintage piece contains so  much of history and heritage in it that it is irresistible. Did you notice the incurable romantic surfacing  again? Well, let us introduce you to a lesser known side of her, the adventure seeker. This delicate looking  dame is an adventuresports enthusiast. She loves bungee jumping and skydiving, amongst others. “I like  skydiving the best. I remember doing that in New Zealand,” recounts Sonam passionately, “We had to just  jump from the plane. It was exhilarating.” She loved it so much that she went back to it again. And while  recalling the thrill she makes a point, “It’s an amazing way to discover oneself. I love adventure sports. It  thrills and teaches you to enjoy the moment.

“I had a crush on Tom Cruise in my teens. When I watched Interview with the Vampire, I was delighted; Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in the same frame! Isn’t it any teenage girl’s dream? Meeting him at my dad’s film premiere was fantastic! He is so good looking!”

when you are young you don’t care about mortality, you believe in invincibility... the thrill and the kicks...”  She is very passionate about whatever she does, be it sports, films or dressing up. Her impeccable style  sense has made her a fashion diva. From getting offers to wear ‘it’ brands to attending international fashion  parties in Paris, Sonam is always dressed for the occasion. Her sister Rhea does help her choose a look or a  dress, but mostly it is her own fashion instincts. And it comes to her naturally. “I enjoy dressing up. I love  clothes. It’s a part of every girl’s growing up, like all the girls enjoy it. It’s a girl thing, you know what I  mean,” she shares. Though she has a reputation for donning high-end brands, she iterates that “brands do  not matter so much; the quality has to be good.” Her magnetic persona has fetched her several fans and  admirers. She is used to people rushing to her for autographs and media chasing her, but a few encounters with some unlikely fans – at least she thought they were unlikely fans – have left an indelible mark on her.  “This is about the time Aisha released; often little girls about four to fifteen would walk up to me and tell me  they love me or that they think I am pretty or that they love my dresses. That was really special for me. I  mean the realisation that I influence children too; the whole idea that kids look up to me is very special,” she  divulges, adding that it also makes her think of it as a great responsibility. One action can influence so many,  “The whole thing about great power coming with great responsibility is absolutely true,” believes she. She  adores her fans and makes it a point to stay connected to them on a personal level through social networking sites (Twitter). She is also very techno-savvy and loves gadgets. “I can’t live without my gadgets like laptop,  iPad, phones etc. Today, you can carry your whole world wherever you go. And it’s important to be  tech-friendly in this age,” she opines. Talking about gadgets and technology, does she sometimes Google her  name just to see what’s happening and doing rounds? “I will be very honest and tell you, yes, I do look up my name. I don’t get much time but once in a while kind of thing,” she confesses candidly. So, has she  stumbled upon any piece of gossip? “Not really. Though my mangers keep updating me on it. Nothing too  alarming has come my way yet, I am still safe that way. But sometimes they’d tell me ridiculous stories about  me,” she adds, “It’s like the 24x7 channels need news all the time. When they run out of it, they start making  up fictitious stuff. At the same time, they need us and we need them.”

As you begin to know her better, she surprises you more and more. She is polite, responsible and chilled  out. She has no starry tantrums, maybe because she has grown up in a family where her father, uncles, aunts  et al were all stars. The stardom is not new to her. And also because her mother made sure the kids had a  regular childhood. They went to a regular school, did regular things with friends and weren’t spoilt. Her sister  is her best buddy. But it is her mother whom she is closest too. “I love dad, but I am closer to mom.  Mom is your, well, mom, you know,” she smiles. Her dad is her favourite actor too. As for actresses she  admires Zeenat Aman and Kate Moss. Ask her if her multifaceted life has taught this multifarious charmer  any lessons and, in her signature childlike enthusiasm, she says, “Lessons? I am still too young to comment  on that, you know what I mean? I believe in enjoying the moment.” So what would the mantra of this chirpy  star be? “Enjoy what you do, have fun and live it up as it comes. Live life to the fullest,” she announces. Her  joie de vivre is infectious; you know what we mean?

Atelier Magazine

Shahrukh Khan Interview

It was Shahrukh Khan who launched the trend of Indian film stars dancing at high-budget weddings. When people criticised him for lowering his status, he coolly confessed, tonguein-
cheek, that he was only a performing monkey.

The evolution of this ordinary-looking, fortysix-year-old man, from a middle-class family in Delhi and with no industry network, into the formidable Brand Shahrukh is not a happy accident but the result of clear, strategic thinking. When Shahrukh Khan’s first film Deewana was released in 1992, he was already a married man, and proud to be one. Unlike most other male Bollywood aspirants who suppressed information about their families with a view to projecting an irresistible romantic-hero persona, Shahrukh Khan fl aunted his. Setting out with this novel approach, he maximised every opportunity that presented itself, and applied his keen business brain not just to advance his career but also to create a sterling public perception of himself that everyone, across socio-economic boundaries, could aspire to. The first milestone was establishing himself as the embodiment of stability, cast-iron priorities, and traditional Indian family values. Everyone knows the story of Shahrukh Khan’s family: the tragic loss of his father to cancer when he was just sixteen, and the family’s financial trauma. He talks freely about how much he cried when his mother died; about the games he plays with his children; about how much he loves his wife. In nearly twenty years, his name was never tarnished with romantic links to any of his heroines – no matter how romantic or sexually explicit their onscreen antics. His super-clean image was reinforced by his prominent secularism: His Hindu wife, his education in a Christian school, and his loyalty and seamless devotion to Islam – each without confl ict to the other. Whether he was a hero or a villain or a comedian in his movies; whether his name was Raj or Rizwan; he never hesitated to come out in public as just himself – with his family in tow. No Bollywood hero before him had ever created such a determinedly wholesome image for himself. Even Amitabh Bachhan, who Shahrukh Khan duelled in public for prime position in the late 1990s, was not free of moral blemish. Shahrukh Khan sidled past ‘Big B’ and instated himself as ‘King’ of Bollywood – applying his shrewd understanding of human psychology to have the title brandished so frequently that it soon lost its ludicrous tone and began to ring naturally. But Shahrukh Khan never tried to gloss himself with trappings of pretentious royalty. He masked his formidable intelligence, choosing to pitch himself as a personality of mass appeal rather than a darling of the wannabe intelligentsia (like, say, Aamir Khan).

And he shamelessly paraded his monetary goals – another tick in the box for the idol of wish fulfillment. It was he who launched the trend of Indian film stars dancing at high-budget weddings for enormous sums of money. When people criticised him for lowering his status by doing so, he coolly shrugged and confessed, tongue-in-cheek, that he was only a performing monkey. Examples of Shahrukh Khan’s PR genius abound – in the early 2000s, the front page of Times of India gave extensive details of his surgery in the US! Its most glorious peak was his 2009 tear-jerking film Billu Barber in which he plays a superstar who seeks out the long-lost friend of his impoverished childhood from amidst thronging masses of fans. What a paean to Brand Shahrukh that was! Working towards his single-minded goal of legend-status in the Hindi fi lm industry, it was his PR skills that helped him enter and stay in the big league to which most have access only by virtue of family connections. And, having restricted the number of fi lms he acted in, he took another strategic decision – to stay in the limelight by offering himself for product endorsements, a decision that opened a lucrative avenue of employment for other out-of-work stars. As Shahrukh Khan’s career progressed, his entrepreneurial side continued to identify new opportunities in his domain. In the early 2000s, he invested in a production house. Within a few years his production business had established itself and his next step was the IPL cricket team. In superb crossutilisation of each platform, his product brands sponsor his movies and cricket team; their sponsors use Brand Shahrukh to endorse their products. Today, when Shahrukh Khan looks at Hollywood, it is not by gratefully grasping at bit roles as many other Indian actors have, but rather by partnering with Hollywood studios. In the new Indian economic scenario, with even the middle-class looking for their slice of the luxury pie, it is the maturity and planning that went into the creation of Brand Shahrukh that has so many women professionals aspiring to buy Tag Heuer watches for their men without the faintest idea of their price – simply because Shahrukh Khan wears one. A Saaz Aggarwal is the author of the newly released The Songbird on my Shoulder

ECO-FRIENDLINESS

BEGINS AT HOME

Does King Khan live responsibly? In a quick chat with ATELIER’s Medha Shri, he says he has made it a point to keep his surroundings clean and would never litter. “I don’t know if this is a major act of living responsibly,” he says in his mock self-effacing way, “but I don’t throw wrappers or packets on the road. I’d rather keep them in my car and wait to throw them in a dustbin than litter. I teach my kids to follow my example too.” He also shares that his daughter Suhana is taught to avoid using plastic or polybags. When it comes to conservation, even little acts go a long way.

Atelier Magazine

Diamond Contact Lenses

For a truly sparkling gaze, look no further than these high-tech contact lenses with real diamonds! Developed and created by Dr Chandrashekhar Chawan of Shekhar Eye Research Centre, this fascinating gold-plated and diamondstudded eyewear spells a new generation of beauty accessories. Priyanka Chakrabarti explores the new bling.

Breaking ground in the field of contact lenses, Dr Chandrashekhar Chawan gives us a peek into his incredible new creation.

What inspired you to create diamond contact lenses?

We all love to decorate different parts of our body with ornaments. A few days ago, my wife got diamonds engraved on her teeth; being an expert in scleral contact lenses, this unique move of hers irked me to think: Why not add a glitter to her eye? Initially I used gold dust on the lenses to get the glitter effect, however the sparkle was missing. So then I attached diamonds to them; the output was stunning.

Have you sold any lenses yet?

My first customer was the Rotary Foundation chairman; he bought a pair for his wife. Of late, we are flooded with inquires coming from Bollywood and the fashion industry. The lens is priced at INR 700,000; hence the target audience is exclusively the urban elite.

How safe is it to use these lenses?

These lenses are absolutely safe to use. These scleral lenses don’t touch the cornea; they rest on the white part of the eye called the scleral. The materiel used to make the lens is Boston XO, which allows 100 per cent passage of oxygen. Nonetheless, one has to maintain proper hygiene while wearing the lenses to avoid infections.

What has been the response from customers so far?

I got mixed response from people; most of them loved it especially the Bollywood lot. But I also heard people say it looks eerie. Many others opined that it’s going to be the next fashion sensation. In fact, I feel that people will soon use diamond-studded lenses and not diamond rings to make marriage proposals!

What would you say to critics who call this procedure unnecessary and garish?

It’s fashion, it’s luxury, it’s not a necessity; this is meant only for people who can afford and enjoy the product. At times, people take time to get acclimatised to new trends; for instance, Lady Gaga and her innovative fashion sense! But look at the number of fans this singer has now.

Does the wearer feel uncomfortable when they blink or close their eyes?

These lenses have very smooth surface and eyelids slide over them normally; there is certainly no sense of irritation. But yes, eyes do look a little wider by about 1 to 2 mm. Nevertheless they are absolutely comfortable to wear. The scleral lenses are worn with sterile normal saline filled in them, so there is a 200-micron thin layer of water that gives a soothing feeling. Atelier Magazine

Fashion Launches

Latest in Store From glittering jewels to swanky watches and online museums, the world of fashion has plenty of surprises this month. Start indulging!

A BLEND OF ELEGANCE AND POISE

Zoya, an exquisite diamond jewellery boutique and a Tata product, and leading luxury consultant, Nisha Jamvwal, presented ‘Dance of the White Peacock’, the latest collection to emerge from Zoya’s newfangled design stable. Inspired by the White Peacock’s dance, Zoya unfurled a collection that recreated the form and finesse of this beautiful bird whose beauty is poetic and movement a form of art. The entire collection centres on the finest diamonds in varied shapes, luscious South Sea pearls, white gold and a generous use of drama.

The launch evening – hosted at their exclusive boutique in Delhi – had Delhi’s swish set in total attendance as an ethereal ballet and live, fusion music created the magic.

HRITHIK ROSHAN FOR RADO D-STAR

Rado timepieces are a rage amongst the elite class since 1962, when the brand launched the world’s first scratch-resistant collection. And now, the brand has proved its excellence when it announced the charismatic celebrity from Bollywood, Hrithik Roshan as their new global brand ambassador. Powerful personality, glamour and luxury are the features that the brand and this captivating Bollywood personality have in common. “Hrithik matches the Rado DNA as he is determined to achieve perfection and fully embodies the Rado Unlimited Spirit,” says Matthias Breschan, CEO of Rado. The tie-up coincided with the launch of the latest series Rado D-Star, which embraces a spectrum of materials from handmetal to the breakthrough new material Ceramos.

LADYMATIC LAUNCHED IN INDIA BY BRAND AMBASSADOR SONALI BENDRE

During a scintillating rendezvous in Delhi, Omega revealed its exclusive range of watches especially for women, titled Ladymatic. To celebrate this special occasion, brand ambassador Sonali Bendre Behl was present and said, “The Ladymatic reveals a slight hint of retro-modern style which is something that catches the eye almost instantly. Being an independent and new-age woman I can truly identify myself with the Ladymatic.” The new series is designed on the concept of grace and sophistication, with quintessentially timeless designs. The timepieces are not just designed to address a woman’s desire but to flaunt as a fashion statement. The elegant range is equipped with the best series-produced mechanical watch movements in the world.

VALENTINO’S VIRTUAL MUSEUM

Recreating the glory of Rome – the birthplace of gladiators, Christianity and Valentino’s couture creations – is his newest adventure that is an intuitive confluence of his deep-rooted traditional beliefs and the power of social media. The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum is an unprecedented digital fashion experience conceived by Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti. With an internal landscape, full of chambers and salons taking you through the art of miraculous dressmaking, a little exercise to your keyboard is the only price of admission.

Five decades of fashion preserved in the Valentino Archive can be viewed in exquisite detail. Then there are the seven rooms that encompass myriad themes ranging from Prints and Pastels, Black and White to Animal Prints. The institution is the best possible use of 3D technology today. This downloadable application offers a personal on-screen experience into Valentino’s creative process, his partnership with Giammetti and details about each garment including who wore it and when. There’s also a library with nine videos, photography of major exhibitions and events from Valentino’s storied world. Atelier Magazine