From a breakthrough in Raanjhanaa to a National award for Neerja, Sonam Kapoor has indeed come a long way.

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Happy Birthday Sonam Kapoor: The screen journey of the Neerja star

From a breakthrough in Raanjhanaa to a National award for Neerja, here are the career highlights of Sonam Kapoor, who celebrates her birthday today

CE Features

Published:9th Jun, 2020 at 11:42 AM

Here, we take you through the career highlights of the talented actor...

Sonam started out as an assistant director on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black (2005). During the shoot, Bhansali professed he wanted to cast her in his next film, Saawariya

Inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky’s short story White Nights, Saawariya was released in 2007. The film paired Sonam with Ranbir Kapoor, also making his debut

For her maiden appearance, Sonam was declared the Stardust Superstar of Tomorrow - Female

In 2009, she starred in Rakeyesh Omprakash Mehra’s Delhi 6, playing Bittu Sharma, an aspiring singer from old Delhi

A slew of releases followed: I Hate Luv Storys, Aisha, Thank You, Mausam, Players

Aisha (2011) introduced a popular Sonam trope: the quest for a perfect match

A career breakthrough came as Zoya Haider in Raanjhanaa (2013). The triangular romance set between Varanasi and Delhi was a major hit, with Dhanush and Abhay Deol essaying the male leads

The film earned her her first Filmfare Nomination for Best Actress

Sonam reunited with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra on Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013). She played Biro, the fleeting love interest of Milkha Singh

Meanwhile, the slice-of-life roles continued with Bewakoofiyaan and Khoobsurat. For the latter, Sonam won the Stardust Award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Romance

12aIn Dolly Ki Doli (2015), she played a serial bride who marries rich men and dupes them for jewellery and cash.

Sonam was diagnosed with swine influenza while filming for Prem Ratan Dhan Payo in Gujarat. She recovered in a month

With Salman Khan in a double role, PRDP was second-highest grossing Hindi film of 2015

Sonam headlined Ram Madhvani’s Neerja in 2016. She played Neeraj Bhanot, an Indian purser who died saving 380 passengers on Pan Am Flight 73, which was hijacked by terrorists

Neerja is hailed as Sonam’s best performance till date. She won a National Film Award Special Mention for the role, as well as a Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics)

To prepare for the part, Sonam met Neerja’s family and trained as an airhostess for two months

In 2018, she teamed up with Akshay Kumar and Radhika Apte for PadMan. She played Pari Walia, a social worker who becomes instrumental in the hero’s journey

The female buddy comedy, Veere Di Wedding, was released the same year. It also featured Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sikha Talsania and Swara Bhasker

Sonam played one of Sanjay Dutt’s love interests in Sanju (2018). The film reunited her with Ranbir Kapoor, her co-star from Saawariya

She essayed a closeted lesbian girl from a conservative Punjabi family in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019). The film co-starred her real-life father Anil Kapoor

The Zoya Factor (2019) told the story of a junior copywriter who becomes a lucky charm for the Indian cricket team. The romantic-comedy paired Sonam with Dulquer Salmaan

Sonam will star in the Bollywood remake of the South Korean film Blind. The actor will play a visually-impaired character in the mystery involving a hit-and-run case

A sequel to Veere Di Wedding is also on the cards