Sonam Kapoor Ahuja made her debut in 2007 with ‘Saawariya’. Though the film did not do very well at the box-office, she got to play a very well-defined character in it and the film gave her ample scope to show her mettle her as an actress. Her role was as substantial as that of the hero and she left an indelible mark with her performance. After this film, one expected her to play equally strong characters and not just be a prop like actresses are relegated to in films many a times in Hindi cinema. She did not disappoint those who had placed faith in her talent after seeing her in her debut film as she played a memorable character again in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s ‘Delhi 6’, her second film. Just like ‘Saawariya’, the film failed to perform at the box-office but Sonam’s performance was appreciated.
She continued to play strong characters in films like ‘I Hate Luv Storys’ (her first commercial hit), ‘Aisha’ (titular role) and ‘Mausam’. There were potboilers like ‘Thank You’ and ‘Players’ too but her choice of roles made it clear that she was willing up to take up a challenging role as and when offered one. During this time, she missed out on being a part of director Aanand L Rai’s breakthrough film ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ because of date issues. She did collaborate with the director later in ‘Raanjhanaa’, which has, arguably, been one of the most important films in her career so far.
Since then, she has played the central/titular parts in films like ‘Khoobsurat’, ‘Dolly Ki Doli’, and ‘Neerja’, left her mark in ensembles (‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’, ‘Pad Man’, ‘Veere Di Wedding’), played the traditional heroine to the T in ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ and have lent gravitas to well-etched out cameo appearances in ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ and ‘Sanju’.
‘The Zoya Factor’ is the umpteenth time she will be seen carrying a film on her shoulder. In a career spanning across twelve years, she has constantly taken on roles that have given her the opportunity to showcase her versatility as an actress and also prove those wrong who are of the opinion that films led by a female actress do not open well or do not find an audience. Hers has been a career that will definitely inspire many!