Birthday wishes for fashionista Sonam Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor is celebrating her birthday (9 June)��but will be doing so with a difference this year. Instead of looking forward to gifts and presents, she has taken to her Twitter and is asking fans and colleagues to donate to the Ogaan Cancer Foundation, an organisation that��helps raise awareness about breast cancer. Writing on the donation website Wishberry, the actress said: ���Everyone seems to know someone with breast cancer – I lost an aunt to it. I’m very happy to support the OCF team, which has shown earnestness and a sense of dedicated purpose. I hope I can make a difference in my own way.�۝

This is a first for Bollywood as no other actor has taken to using their birthday to raise awareness for such a worthy cause.�� When Kapoor hit our screens with ��Saawariya�۪ (2007), she made the film industry stand up and take notice. She went onto star with Abhishek Bachchan in ��Delhi 6�۪ (2009) where she wowed critics with her unique performance and convinced the audience that she was indeed here to stay. ��Since then, the actress has established herself as not as an upcoming star but also as a fashionista with international fashion labels like Gucci and Chanel falling over themselves to dress the star.

However, despite being the daughter of Bollywood (and now Hollywood)��star Anil Kapoor, the actress did have to earn her keep in order to get into the industry. Kapoor�۪s first taste of working in the industry was as an assistant director alongside Ranbir Kapoor under the watchful eye of Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the film ��Black�۪ (2005). The film gained acclaim from the critics as it tackled difficult issues like blindness and Alzheimer�۪s disease and starred big name stars Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherji.

Speaking about working with the actress on the film, Ranbir Kapoor said on Koffee with Karan: ���Sonam�۪s vibe is that she is very melodramatic, a total drama queen where she has to over hype things. One day, I went to the van, Sonam was fanning herself saying she was not well; she does these little dramas which are very endearing. Sometimes I want to hold her throat and tell her to shut up and just be real. She is lovely when she is real and she is a very fine actress. She has a good head about what is right and wrong and I hope to work with her soon.�۝

The actress’s most commercial film to date has to be ��I Hate Luv Storys�۪ (2010) with Imran Khan, where she played innocent and na�ve Simran who believed in true love and having the fairytale ending that every girl dreams about. Being a self-confessed bookworm and having read lots of love stories in her own time, the actress seemed perfect for the role and she went on to cement her star status with ��Aisha�۪ (2010), ��Thank You�۪ (2011), ��Players�۪ (2011) and ��Mausam�۪ (2011).

Speaking about her experience, Kapoor told Filmfare: ���I deliberately did films like I Hate Luv Storys, Thank You and Aisha because after Delhi 6 and Saawariya people thought I was non-glamorous and couldn�۪t be commercial. I wanted to show how my films could be commercially viable and I could appeal to the mass audience as well. With IHLS and Aisha, I captured two types of audiences. With Aisha I captured female and children�۪s attention and with IHLS I appealed to the men.�۝

The ��Mausam�۪ actress will next be seen in ��Raanjhanaa�۪��(set to release this year)��with debutant Dhanush of ‘Kolaveri Di�۪ fame. Though Kapoor is criticised for her lack of frequent releases,��she insists it is because her previous films have taken so much time to film. Talking to PTI, she said: ���I don`t want to do something forgettable. Whether a movie works or not, people should remember the character that I have played. This is the reason why they still known me as Bittoo, Aisha, Aayat, Simran or Sakina. I work hard but then I want to have a life besides movies as well.�۝

Aside from films, the ��Aisha�۪ actress has also made herself well known in the fashion world and most recently walked the red carpet at the 64^th Annual Cannes Film Festival wearing international designers like Dolce and Gabanna and Alexander McQueen. Her style status is so well known that the actress has been given free rein in the wardrobe department for ��Raanjhanaa�۪. ���They had so much confidence in me being stylish that they allowed me to wear whatever I wanted. They didn�۪t give me any input whatsoever on what to wear and just explained to me the situation. So I was told that ��Hey Sonam, you have to look spunky here and hot there�۪,�۝ she told PTI.

So whether it is being a fantastic actress or a fashion diva, Kapoor has it all and, being a child of the industry, she certainly has a bright future. With her new release in the pipeline, the actress has a lot to look forward to and she deserves it. BizAsia��wishes Kapoor a happy birthday and all the best for the future!