A wedding is not as important as the marriage, says Sonam Kapoor

National-award winning actress and fashionista Sonam Kapoor, who recently marked her international runway debut in an embellished ivory gown for Ralph and Russo, turned a bride in white for designer duo Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla amid all the rumours of her tying the knot with alleged beau Anand Ahuju recently. Looking like a vision in white, Sonam happily reveals about her favourite ceremonies, customs and rituals at a typical Indian wedding. Sonam says, “The best part has to be the coming together of friends and families under one roof to celebrate. I also love how couples write passages or vows for one another and read them out … I think it’s really meaningful and beautiful. Besides that, I love everything about shringaar and mehandi along with all the games that one plays during different ceremonies.”  

Sonam has always credited her parents Anil and Sunita Kapoor for inculcating an attitude of gratitude into her siblings and herself, along with providing them with the freedom of choice to follow what they want and believe in. She had once pointed out in a television interview that, while she has been a believer of God, faith and destiny, her sister, Rhea has been an atheist and her brother, Harshvardhan, an agnostic, even though they have been brought up together under one roof. 

“Yes, they are really cool and always in sync with one another. They let us choose our own paths. They are, in fact, my role models for a picture-perfect marriage. I have always thought of them as an ideal couple and learnt from them that best friends make the best couples. More than that I have also learned that one’s wedding is not as important as a successful marriage.”

Largely, Indian brides choose to opt for attires in the shades of red or pink, while Sonam was wearing a white lehenga with pearls, Swarovski crystals, and chinkari work. When asked if she finds white to be a little off-beat, or even controversial, she laughs, “I think that white is a great colour, it’s always fantastic. I love all sorts of colours but white represents purity so I like it even more. And as for controversies, I don’t know if this is controversial, but right now I think anything can be controversial especially in India.” 

Ask her about her definition of a quintessential bride and she quickly responds, “A happy bride is the best bride. I think someone who’s happy and excited to start her new life is always a quintessential bride”  

From Delhi-6, I Hate Luv Storys, Aisha to Khoobsurat and Neerja, the national-awarding winning actress has also completed 10 years in the industry. Kick-starting her career in 2007 with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya, Sonam has come a long way. She recalls, “My whole journey has been aimed at becoming a better artist. And I hope that I sustain another 10 years in the industry fine-tuning my craft and getting better at it.” 

Lastly, the self-confessed bookworm shares about her current favourites, “The last book I read was The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks. It’s a bestselling collection of clinical tales from the far borderlands of neurological and human experience. Other than that, I have two more books that I picked up but I am yet to get started on them.”