Sonam Kapoor’s impact on Bollywood as a leading actress pales to the true make-up and fabric of this 21st century icon. She is more than a wardrobe wonder and a terrific actress – she is a role model for today’s youth. She has panache for style and flair that leaves us in awe of her. However, her charisma goes beyond the silver screen. She is an inspiration for all women to be stronger, courageous and a positive contributor to society.
Sonam Kapoor is seen on the cover of March 2017 Femina magazine as an empowered lady standing proud as a role model to ambitious young women and is depicted as an advocate of women’s rights, recognition she richly deserves. In the Femina article, Sonam talks about that one incident among many when Bollywood actresses were not safe against the gruesome act of molestation and rape. They were eve-teased, catcalled, sexually molested or stalked by their wardrobe appearance. Recently, this questionable norm has received scrutiny, as more actresses admitted that they have been victims of molestation. Sonam Kapoor shines light on these senseless and immoral actions while addressing those victimized by coming forward and sharing her story of how she too was a targeted mark.
In describing her harrowing experience, Sonam said, “Everybody goes through some sort of sexual abuse in [his or her] childhood. I know I have been molested when I was younger and it was traumatizing. I didn’t speak about it for two or three years. I remember the incident so clearly – I was going to watch a film with Raveena Tandon and Akshay Kumar and I went with my friends to Gaiety Galaxy theatre. We were about 13-14 years old… We’d wanted to get these samosas from outside and it was a gang of girls and you know, we used to hold each other’s shoulders and walk. I was last, because I was the tallest obviously, and I was holding on… it was my friend Ekta’s birthday… I remember very clearly. We walked in. There was a man who came from behind and just held my breasts like that. And obviously, I didn’t have breasts at that time. I started shaking and shivering and I didn’t know what was going on and I started crying right there. I didn’t speak about it. I just sat there and I finished watching the film, because I felt that I’d done something wrong for the longest time.”
It is noteworthy Sonam Kapoor’s terrible experience did not deter her motivation to be an actress and in turn used this as a means to sanction herself and be a role model for others. She elaborates, “Just like we block out the trolls, we can block out the noise from people who want to shame and blame us. As women, we need to stand by each other and believe in ourselves. The rest is all background noise.”
What makes Sonam Kapoor so impressive is that she wants to utilize her celebrity status for positive change. She has been involved with social initiatives and recently visited a hospital, where she consoled children suffering from malnutrition. The lovely actress told a publication that she strongly feels that if one is born into privilege it is one’s duty to give back to society. Sonam Kapoor is associated with an NGO, which is works towards eliminating malnutrition across India. She also feels that, even though, people venture into noble endeavors such as constructing schools, hospitals and toilets and propagating feminism, they fail to address one of the most basic needs “hunger” and more importantly “hungry children”. Another goal for the celebrity is her work on promoting education and literacy for all young girls.
Sonam’s averseness to stand on the sidelines while her gender continues to face unimaginable horrors is torpedoing Sonam in becoming a force of change. Sonam’s continued commitment for social change pushes her towards the ranks of people such as Amir Khan and Angelia Jolie. We all wish her continued success in this remarkable journey of hers.
