Two women who immensely inspire Sonam Kapoor Ahuja

Celebrated as the face of social change in today’s modern world, actress and philanthropist Sonam Kapoor Ahuja often gives us all an insight of her life and thoughts through social media. Quite active on her Instagram handle, the fashion icon recently spoke deeply about the two women who inspire her the most in life. In a heartfelt post, Kapoor revealed how she and sister Rhea have been leading AK films and faced their share of roadblocks. Sonam said it’s Late Ashok Chakra awardee & flight attendant Neerja Bhanot and late actress Fatma Begum who have inspired her the most.

Sonam wrote, “For those of you who don’t know, in the beginning of my career, I AD’d with a director for almost 5 years. In a space that was largely dominated by men, I got a glimpse of what it means to be a woman in an otherwise man’s world. It is not easy. Later, when I went on to act in films, one such film that hit home was Neerja. I read her story, I read the script, I did my research – Neerja was a badass. She was courageous, she was strong, she was also emotional and sensitive. Looking at these women and reading about them, I cannot help but look up to them. Another inspiration of mine has to be Fatma Begum! She was a leader in so many ways. Largely responsible for pulling the film industry out of its patriarchal ways, she was also unafraid to try news things and experiment. Right now as Rhea and I lead AK Films, there are 1001 issues and roadblocks that we face, a lot them because we are women. Stories like Fatma’s gives me hope and encouragement. Rhea and I have never shied away from speaking up about the issues we faced while making Veere, but the fact is that that is just the tip of the iceberg. I just want to thank and show my respect to Fatma Begum, for paving the way for women to become actors, scriptwriters, producers and directors. Thank you for doing what you did back then, so that we can do what we are doing right now. No amount of words can describe the amount of respect I have for you, thank you for being a feminist, thank you for not being afraid, thank you for taking risks, and thank you for establishing a platform for actors like myself to even exist today. Guys, if you don’t know about her, I urge you to look her up, read about her, be inspired. We NEED more women like her! P.S – While curating this, my team and I faced several roadblocks in terms of finding correct information. If, by any chance, any of you can reach out with more credible sources that can help us in understanding such icons in a better way, do let us know.”

Meanwhile, the humanitarian has been doing her bit for the nation amidst the novel coronavirus pandemic. She recently urged fans to donate money to buy masks for Mumbai Police personnel.