Her portrayal of Neerja Bhanot in biopic Neerja has been hailed as Sonam Kapoor’s finest performance so far but the actress, who felt a close afinity with her character, says her best is yet to come.
“I got similar response during Raanjhanaa. I have a long way to go. I have a lot to learn. I hope and pray that this is not my best yet. I want my best to be much later because otherwise then there will be a crescendo,” Sonam told PTI in an interview.
The actress says playing the young flight attendant, who died trying to save the lives of 350-odd passengers on a hijacked Pan Am aircraft in 1986, was an emotional journey.
“When I started shooting for the film, I never thought Neerja is someone else because if I would have thought that, I would have never done justice to the role. It was more of a catharsis for me. I was always thinking ‘How would I have responded in such situation’. There are certain things which she stood for and I also imbibe them.”
The 30-year-old actress says the biggest achievement for her was that Neerja’s brothers — Aneesh and Akhil Bhanot — were touched by her portrayal of their sister.
“Aneesh and Akhil saying that they could not differentiate between Neerja and me, for me that was something… I started crying. I felt ‘what else do I need?’. I connected well with Rama aunty (Neerja’s mother) too. She was just like my mother.”
PTI