Sonam Kapoor opens up on Dulquer Salmaan, 'skipping genres with every film', and Battle for Bittora

Sonam Kapoor says actors like Dulquer Salmaan, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Rajkummar Rao are enjoying success today as they understand the importance of storytelling and not be bothered about who is leading a film. The actress was speaking at the trailer launch of her upcoming film, _The Zoya Factor_. [caption id=“attachment_7252071” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Sonam Kapoor at the trailer launch of The Zoya Factor. Image from Twitter[/caption] Female actors in the past have said they have found it difficult to get a male star attached to their film where they have a leading role. When asked does something similar to her as well, Sonam tells reporters, “It depends on the person and their confidence level, how they feel about themselves… My father did films like Beta, Ladla and Mr India, where women had prominent roles and he was a superstar at that time.” The actor says because she had seen her father being so progressive in his choices and therefore she could not understand why male actors are not thinking the same way today. “I have been brought up to think it doesn’t matter as long as the role is amazing. But there were a few, like Dhanush, Dulquer, Rajkummar and Ayushamann, who I worked with in a couple of films. There are a lot of these men out there and they are all doing better than everybody else right now. “Because they realised it’s not about who’s leading the film. It’s about the film and what are you trying to say with the film. That’s progressive, incredible and these days that’s what’s working — progressive, content-driven cinema,” she adds. In the film, Dulquer plays the role of the captain of the Indian Cricket team, while Sonam will be seen as an executive in an advertising agency. Speaking about choosing films, Sonam says it is her endeavour to always mix and match several genres of films, even though she feels that she is at her best when she is doing comedy. She said that her last couple of films have been vastly different from each other. “I try to skip genres with every film. My last couple of films have been Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga , Veere Di Wedding , Padman  and _Sanju_ . I am lucky enough for directors to think I can do a Neerja and a Zoya Factor,” Sonam tells reporters. Sonam says though she enjoys comedy, today there are only a handful of “carefree and fun” films being made. “I think I do the best in comedy. A lot of the audience think I do better in films like Raanjhanaa, Neerja. I don’t know what is my genre but I enjoy doing comedy a lot. “I feel very comfortable and easy. I don’t think there are many films that are being made these days, especially which are carefree and fun with content as the backdrop.” Sonam adds that she believes good literature is the backbone of films and writers should be given their proper due. Early in her career, Sonam worked in Aisha, a story inspired by Jane Austen’s famous novel Emma and the actor, who has been named the brand ambassador for Jio MAMI festival’s ‘Word to Screen’ initiative, says she is always open to good book adaptations. She adds that the ‘Word to Screen’ initiative can be a great platform for those looking for good content. “Hopefully, we can make content the king. Writers are the rockstars. Technicians, in general, are not given their due credit because when you are behind the scenes, you are less in the public eye. Writers are the backbone of any film and they should be given more due,” she tells Press Trust of India.  Sonam and her sister, producer Rhea Kapoor, have bought the rights to two books - _Battle for Bittora_  and Govinda . “Both are amazing books. Govinda is a fictionised version where Krishna is being a superhero. We have not thought about how to get this ahead. Battle for Bittora, we got the rights three years ago. It will happen next year. I don’t know if I will be a part of it or not as an actor, hopefully. It depends on how it is written.” Sonam believes there is more fun in adapting a book to screen as there is a familiarity with the characters but also the scope to interpret and imagine. “I feel sad that the younger generation of people does not read many books. We are trying to promote the fact that through books, we get amazing films. Film adaptation is an important market for the industry.” The actor says one of her childhood aspirations was to become a librarian as she thought it was the best way to be surrounded by books all the time. “Words are mightier than a sword. Today, when there are polarising views on social media and in media, where people are using words without even understanding the consequences of it, more importance should be given to how words can affect and impact the way people think.” The Zoya Factor is scheduled to release on 20 September. Directed by Abhishek Sharma, the film is an adaptation of Anuja Chauhan’s book of the same name. (With inputs from Press Trust of India)