BAZAAR Spotlight: Meet Sonam Kapoor, Bollywood's Fashion Darling

You can't help but fall for her impeccable style and killer smile

By Annabelle Fernandez - published 7 Sep 2017

BAZAAR's spotlight is staying a little while longer on the South Asian region of the world. In this episode, we will be talking about the stunning Sonam Kapoor. With a killer smile and her tall frame, Sonam's popularity is skyrocketing through the years since her 2007 acting debut in the Bollywood film, Saawariya. Now, Kapoor is strutting down the red carpet at international film festivals and even the runways of designers like Ralph & Russo. Not only is she beyond gorgeous, Sonam is quite a fashionista with an affinity for luxury maisons. With a massive following of 10.6 million on Instagram (@sonamkapoor), this stunning actress is just moving from strength to strength.

Here are 5 things you need to know about this stunning 32-year-old actress and her impeccable sense of style, both on and off the red carpet:

1. Sonam comes from one of the most famous celebrity families in India, aka The Kapoors.

Daughter to veteran actor, Anil Kapoor who has starred in over 45 Hindi films as well as International films such as 'Slumdog Millionaire' and 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol'. He is one of the biggest names in Bollywood and has won several awards. Her mom, Sunita Kapoor is a costume designer. Sonam is the eldest daughter and she has a younger sister and brother. The Kapoors are a prominent family in India's Bollywood industry (think the Kardashians). Sonam's grandfather, Surinder Kapoor served as president of the Film & Television Producers Guild of India for six years.

2. Sonam started her film career not as an actress but as a assistant director.

Contrary to popular belief, not all superstars start out as aspiring actors. Sonam has always wanted to be part of India's prolific film industry but preferred the behind-the-scenes approach. She started out as an assistant director for award-winning director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the critically acclaimed film, 'Black'. Sanjay saw something in Sonam and it took him one and half years to convince Sonam that she should be in front of the camera and not behind it.

3. She had to lose a lot of weight for her debut film.

Her debut film, Saawariya was directed by Sanjay himself and she lost a whopping 35kg for her role. That is dedication! Sonam has always struggled with her weight and she has always been upfront and open about that on her Instagram. She emphasizes that leading a healthy lifestyle is tough but very important. Till today, Sonam has to stick to a fitness regime that includes yoga, pilates and cardio, in order to maintain her healthy figure. It's one of the things that makes Sonam so relatable to her many fans.

4. Sonam love fashion with a passion.

It's no surprise that Sonam has an affinity for fashion especially since she has been exposed to it at an early age with her mom being a costume designer for several films. Since then, Sonam has been a frequent front row guest during fashion week and even walking down the runway herself as a model. Most notably, her recent strut down the runway was in a grand veiled gown at the Ralph & Russo show in Paris Fashion Week. She looked positively regal! Previous to that, she was a regular at the Fashion Design Council Of India during Couture Week and so on.

5. Which leads us to Sonam's risk-taking style that has her hailed as India's chicest fashionista.

Sonam is not afraid to try out a new trend or silhouette. Sometimes she plays up her Indian roots and go for a more traditional route with embellished sarees and full skirts. Other times she is ultra modern in graphic silhouettes that emphasize her tall figure. However, Sonam tends to prefer loose-fitting shapes that cinches at the waist to accentuate her figure. She also often opts for colourful prints and eye catching designs rather than a more minimalistic approach. One minute she is in an intricate, retro-styled dress, the next she is in a tomboy-ish pant and shirt combination. Sonam loves to experiment!

Her beauty look is quite diverse too. She isn't adverse to a smokey eye on occasion, but she is also not afraid to go for the fresh-faced "no makeup" makeup look. Her brows are definitely a show-stealing feature on her face! Sonam is blessed with full and defined brows, but she does fill them in to keep them in place. And when she wants to dress up her face, she often goes for a bold lip (usually red) to balance her bold brows for an uber chic look.