11 Years of Aisha: Sonam Kapoor Says 'My Sister and I Were Bullied by Some Men in Bollywood'

Sonam Kapoor’s 2010 comedy-drama Aisha had taken Bollywood fashion to a soaring high with its designer dresses, trendy outfits and quirky dialogues. An adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel Emma, the film opened to mixed reviews but established Sonam as the best fashionista in B-Town. Despite being an established actor now, the journey was not a cakewalk for Sonam and her sister Rhea Kapoor who produced the film.

As the film clocked 11 years, the Kapoor sisters held a session on Clubhouse where they opened up on some of their struggles and remarks they had to come across for the film.

Sonam can undoubtedly turn heads with her top-notch fashion sense. However, there were times when she had to be the subject of ridicule for dressing up, revealed Rhea. “There was a time when people laughed and mocked us after the film’s release. I remember this incident, where we were at a party, and an emerging director then, who is well established now looked at Sonam’s outfit and said, ‘Where is Sonam Kapoor going in this outfit?'”

Talking about how her sister loved to get dressed up since childhood, Rhea recalled that Sonam would sit at home wearing a ‘maangtika’. She also revealed that people made fun of her for dressing up.

In Aisha, Sonam essayed the role of an upper-class girl with a superficial lifestyle who constantly meddled in her friend’s lives.

Talking of the film’s reception, Sonam added that people who praised her for her previous films Sawariya and Delhi 6, misjudged her character in Aisha. She had become a soft target, the actress added. Sonam also expressed that being an insider in the industry, the people that one grows up seeing stop being supportive once they enter the industry.

“The fashion industry supported me more than the film industry. In the film industry, I was like a fish out of the water, but the fashion industry found me understandable,” revealed the actress.

However, the Kapoor sisters shared that the only way they survived everything was by being beside each other.

“What a lot of people don’t know about Aisha is that the film became more accepted and successful many years after its release. Gal Mithhi Mithhi Bol was the only thing that was outright successful. The film made a little bit of money, but received a lot of hate initially. People thought we made this film simply because we could, but the release of the film forced us both to grow up a lot,” said Rhea.

“As women, we don’t realise that there is more power in numbers. The way my sister and I were bullied through the process of making the film by some of the men in the industry made us realise when there are more of you together, it’s easier to stand up to things and give each other strength. So that is the one thing that was a takeaway from Aisha that I always knew my sister was my best friend,” concluded Sonam Kapoor.

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