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Sonam versus Deepika: The industry’s take

Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone may be as different as chalk and cheese but a common factor which binds the two debutante lasses is their current common struggle to outdo the other!

The two ladies are leaving no stone unturned in going out of their way to promote themselves and their film. From attending parties, product launches, reality shows… we won’t be wrong if we say that the ladies are seen here, there and everywhere, seeing to it that they are seen more than their competitor!

Clashes are not unknown to the land of Bollywood which often boasts about the cold war between the A grade actresses vying for the number one position. Madhuri Dixit v/s Sridevi, Miss World Aishwarya Rai v/s Miss Universe Sushmita Sen, Lara Dutta vs Priyanka Chopra… with the latest jodi to make it to the list being that of Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor.

So the obvious question of who’ll emerge as the winner from the two prompted us to speak to the movie insiders who have been closely associated with the duo. The ladies in question, Deepika and Sonam may tag this war as ‘media created’ but certainly not our movie insiders and trade analysts. So who is going to walk away with the top honours for the ‘Best Debutante (Female) Award’ this year… any guesses?

It’s a popular opinion that Sonam has the Rani Mukherjee ‘girl next door’ charm while Deepika has the ‘Ash’ look… but who has the potential to make it big?

“Deepika being labelled as this Ash and Bipasha combination is absolutely rubbish. The girl has her own unique identity” says Ad man Prahlad Kakar who has worked with Deepika as a model as well as has seen Sonam about 10 years back when she was a ‘fat little kid’!

He further elaborates his point by saying, “Deepika is a stunning woman and a strong contender for Ash’s position because she has Ash’s grace, startling beauty and equally wooden face! Both Ash and Deepika need good directors who have the ability to bring out the best in them. Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam did it for Aishwarya as the director used her mastery over classical dance to make her look like a classic Indian beauty. Deepika needs the same.”

Talking about the comparison between the two the Ad man said, “Sonam was a fat little kid when I had met her few years back and look at the way she has groomed herself today! I can’t believe her transformation. Besides, she is the daughter of Anil Kapoor and has assisted Bhansali as a director thus making her much more experienced than Deepika in front of the camera. Also in Sonam there is a certain hunger to prove herself as other than being born in the film family nothing has come naturally to her. She wasn’t born with good looks. Deepika in comparison has always been a stunning looking girl, also she has been over hyped which can backfire on her, as people have extremely high expectations from her.”

So will the glamorous supermodel be able to win over the Indian junta or the Saawariya sweetheart?

“All depends on the way these ladies act. Rani Mukherjee is not conventionally good looking actor but her eyes speak and help the audiences connect with her. Arjun Rampal is a fine looking actor but has been unsuccessful in films! After a while your looks cease to exist and what matters is your ability to seduce the audiences with your acting. Sonam is an unknown entity with no expectations and thus has a strong chance to go the Rani way and become one of the top actresses in the industry”, concludes Prahlad.

Sajid Khan, brother of Om Shanti Om director Farah Khan, begs to differ. He says, “It’s too early to comment on which actress will do better as we will have to see the films for that. However, I have seen few portions of OSO and also the very fact that Deepika was chosen by Farah and Shah Rukh itself says that she is going to be the number one actress soon. OSO is going to be the biggest blockbuster of the year, better than Heyy Babyy too! As far as Sonam is concerned, she cannot go wrong as she is the daughter of one of the finest actors we have.”

But can supermodels become successful actors? “Definitely… Aishwarya and Lara have been models and are doing so well today in the film industry. Whoever says that models can’t act should go take a hike! It’s a popular misconception”, says the Heyy Babyy director.

Trade Analyst Taran Adarsh doesn’t believe in this competition. “Both OSO and Saawariya are releasing on November 9, which happens to be Diwali period where both the films can co-exist. Talking about the leading ladies of the films, Deepika has worked for Farah who is an experienced choreographer & director who’d ensure that Deepika does well and on the other hand Bhansali is known for extracting brilliant talent from his stars, which puts Sonam in safe hands too. Deepika is glamorous as compared to Sonam but all depends on the way they have been projected on screen”, says Taran.

All said and done; only time will tell who will really emerge victorious in this clash. All we have to say to the hotties for time being is that please maintain some Shanti, chant OM and cut down on over-promoting yourselves!