5 Unknown Facts about the Sonam Kapoor – Dhanush starrer Raanjhanaa
Sonam Kapoor and the name Zoya seem inextricably bound. In Raanjhanaa and then again in the silly The Zoya Factor she played Zoya. Sonam was thrilled about her part in Aanand L Rai’s film. In an interview after the release of Raanjhanaa she told me, “I never got to do a role and film like Raanjhanaa.Raanjhanaa was accused by columnist Shobha De of endorsing stalking. Aanand was livid. “How do I respond to this? I don’t even want to react to an opinion so absurd and myopic. Has she seen Varanasi, felt its pulse? Does she know what the city is all about? Does she understand the feelings of the young in the small cities where two people still cannot go out on a date? There’s a life beyond metropolises that some people who have grown up in the metros cannot understand. And I don’t see the need to explain myself to them. It’s different cultural breeding. In a small town pursuing a girl, until she says yes, is a sign of true love? Released in the year of blockbusters such as Dhoom 3, Goliyon Ki Raas Leela Ram Leela, Chennai Express, Krissh 3 and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Raanjhana held its own in spite of no major stars in the cast and a lead actor who was unknown in the cow belt. Dhanush returned to Bollywood two years later for R Balki’s Shamitabh where he spoke in Amitabh Bachchan’s voice.
