Sonam Kapoor gears up for her next big release Dilli 6. In the meanwhile, she shoots the breeze on Ranbir Kapoor; Kunal Kapoor and of couse, daddy cool Anil Kapoor. Anuradha Choudhary keeps track.

CLEARLY, she's a big girl now. She was just about learning to take baby steps in showbiz when I first met her during Saawariya. Today she seems well versed in industry natter. Spend an afternoon with her and she'll give you her take on the Hindi film industry in no mean terms. She tells it like it is. She talks about how she doesn't want to be part of the rat race. How acting isn't just about earning money. She'll tell you she won't endorse products she isn't convinced about. She wants to be a responsible citizen because there are too many irresponsible people around. That then is Sonam Kapoor for you. The industry's latest sunshine girl. And if, in her personal life, she's being linked with co-actor Kunal Kapoor; like a true Hindi film heroine, she'll deny it. What's more, she's even banned two magazines. Now if that isn't the ultimate test of celebrity, what is?

"They wrote nasty things about my family and me," she wails. "And that's not done." See what I mean about being a big girl? She has her opinions and she isn't afraid to air them anymore.

So we're sitting in the 'den', as this room is referred to, in Anil Kapoor's palatial home after a scrumptious meal at his dining table. It's one of those langorous afternoons where all you want to do is chill. Sonam Kapoor half sitting, half lying on the coach, clutching a pillow to her stomach is doing just that. Between sips of Chinese tea, which she informs me is good for digestion, she talks about the 'heavenly' holiday she had in New York. It was a just reward for working non-stop for five years, she tells me.

She giggles, "After Dilli 6 was over; I told papa he had to buy me a holiday. I told him my money is for investments. And since he earns for the family, it's only right that he should. So he bought me a ticket to New York. And I had a blast for one month. I shopped like crazy and saw movies and plays. I went to different restaurants, ate like a pig and partied hard. I had a ball."

Clearly, having a ball is her raison d'etre. That's what she claims she did on the sets of Dilli 6 too. Despite heavy-duty rehearsals, shooting at odd hours in chiffon saris in the chilling Jaipur winter; she states, "I had the best time of my life on the set. We would have the most debauched parties every ten days. But we would also work like dogs."

Tell her the buzz in the industry is that Rakyesh Mehra is a tyrant on the sets, that he treated her rather brusquely and she screams her guts out. I almost run for cover. "Are you mad? Have you ever met him? I can't believe people are saying this. He's the sweetest person around. He just looks scary but he's not. Really, he's so nice. Nothing upsets him. He's always in a state of yogic bliss."

Chummily, she reveals that if anyone was ever angry on the sets it was her: Why? Because Rakyesh Mehra doesn't believe in giving anyone more than three takes. She laughs now, "I would plead with him to give me one more take. And he'd be like there's no need. I've got what I wanted. He'd say whatever you want to do, do it in two-three takes. I couldn't take that. Because I was so used to this, one-little-hair-has-gone-over-your-face-so-one-more-take Sanjay Bhansali school of acting. This was a shock for me."

She recalls her first day of shooting on the sets of Dilli 6. How she went up to Rakyesh and asked him whether she was looking okay. Whether her hair was okay. She chuckles, "What did I know? I was so used to Sanjay Leela Bhansali inspecting every tiny detail. But Rakyesh was like, 'You always look fine, what's wrong? Theek hi ho yaar.' Binod sir who has worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali realized my predicament. So he told me, "You're looking fine. Just move your hair to the left." There was nothing wrong with my hair but he said that just for my peace of mind. You know, I was getting paranoid on the sets because no one was concerned about my looks. And I would run to Binod sir. After the third day, even he was fed up."

Lying on the couch, she claims she's glad she got the opportunity to work with such diverse directors. Says she, "Sanjay Bhansali has trained me to be aware of the way I look and Rakeysh Mehra insists on me being organic and natural. So while I'm aware of my looks, I've become completely unconscious of the way I look. It's a great combination."

As we talk some more about her favorite directors, she continues, "Sanjay Bhansali has a more dramatic, operatic style of filmmaking whereas Rakeysh is more real. His work is not choreographed. There's a rawness about his work. For Sanjay Bhansali you need to give those 15 takes to attain perfection, to look that beautiful. But it doesn't mean there's no beauty in what I have done in Dilli 6. My hair is all over the place, my voice is hoarse. I might not look beautiful when I'm crying in a Rakeysh Mehra film but I look beautiful when I'm crying in a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. There's beauty in both styles. Rakeysh Mehra will never tell me don't do the scene this way. He'll tell me do it instinctively. Sanjay Bhansali used to give me more direction on where to look, what to do. So in that sense it was easier for me to do Saawariya. It was completely choreographed for me." Having said that she adds, "Dilli 6 will be the true test of my ability. It will tell me whether I have it in me or not."

YOU don't need to be Einstein to know that she's her papa's daughter. Every sentence begins with 'papa'. Everything she needs to know about the industry, she's learned from papa. Like a good soup, it all starts with the stock. And there's no doubt Anil Kapoor has passed on the acting genes to his daughter. "I told papa he must make a movie for me now," she thrills. "I told him, sab apne beton ke liye banate hain. Aap apni beti ke liye banaiye."

The question that arises here is whether she resents not getting a home launch. She shakes her head vigorously disabusing you of notion right away. And tells you what papa once told her: "He said, 'An actor should never get comfortable. Because as soon as you are relaxed, it shows on the screen. Tum thandi ho jaogi. Always be on the edge.' I got a Sanjay Bhansali film on my own. I got Rakeysh's film because of my first film. I did that by keeping at it. By saying that I want to work as an assistant with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. By working like a dog. Okay, I know I'm getting so much attention in the industry because I'm Anil Kapoor's daughter. But now I've done something on my own too. I can proudly say that my dad didn't launch me. There's a lot of self-respect in that."

Agreed. But why isn't she signing movies? It's certainly not for lack of offers. She says she isn't overtly ambitious. "I don't want to sign four films because someone else has done so. I don't crave Rs 6 crore because someone is already getting three. It's so wrong. Being an actor is an art. And art cannot be done without honesty. It's not just about making money. Okay, eventually you have to earn your bread and butter. But there's more to acting that that."

She says she'll never do films she isn't convinced about. It's the work ethic she's learnt, you've guessed it, from her father. Her build up to celebrity may seem slower: But she isn't worried. Yes, she wants to move up the ranks. She wants to sit with the cream on top of the hierarchy. But she also wants to be recognised for her talent. "I won't do a film I don't believe in. Films should have certain integrity. I mean if there's skin show or a kissing scene in the film, it should be justified. It can't be there just to titillate. I'd rather not do such films." She adds, "Touchwood! As Anil Kapoor's daughter, I have the platform where I can pick and choose the movies I want. Fortunately for me, I don't have to pay my bills, I don't need to pay my car installments, I don't need to put clothes on my back. I don't need the money. I don't need to do films to keep myself out there."

FOCUS on her personal life then. Rumours about her rather intimate friendship with Kunal Kapoor abound. Ask her what the truth is and very tongue-in-cheek she says, "The truth is that we are in high school where kids say iska suname Kapoor hai, uska surname Kapoor hai. So they'll make a good pair: Which happened with Ranbir Kapoor and me earlier. And now it's Kunal Kapoor: Sorry, it's not happening at all. He's like 12 years older than me yaar."

She's flabbergasted by the rumours. People are mad to talk about it," she says emphatically. "I don't know Kunal at all. He used to be Rakeysh's assistant so he used to come on the sets quite often. He's friendly with Abhishek and the rest of the crew. Now I couldn't be rude to him. That I had a 20-minute conversation with him doesn't mean anything. I don't know at all. At least rumours with Ranbir were justified because we were really, really good friends."

Okay. But another rumour making the rounds is that she's not on talking terms with best buddy Ranbir Kapoor. Apparently she's nursing a broken heart now that he's found a girlfriend. She denies this but admits that their relationship has definitely changed. And she quickly clarifies. "And t hasn't changed because he has a girlfriend. After Saawariya, both of us got into our movies. And there was no time for small talk." She continues, "For five years, we were together every single day. We were really close. We're still in touch. There's no bad blood between us. Today, I speak to him once a month. We exchange SMSes but nothing more. We are both doing our own thing these days. But as soon as we start doing another movie together; it'll be like old times between us. We share a great bond. And we have the potential of being a great onscreen pair. Because we have great chemistry and we are in sync when we're acting together. It's very rare to find someone. My dad had that with Madhuri Dixit. Shah Rukh and Kajol also have that chemistry. But that doesn't mean they are involved. I think chemistry always works when you don't have a relationship with that person."

She reveals that Ranbir has always found Deepika hot. In fact, he would often tell her so. "I wasn't surprised when they got together," she smiles. "And I'm truly happy for them. Because he seems very happy with her: They are very similar to each other: Ranbir and I are very different. He'd rather watch a masala film than read a book. He can't stand it when I correct his English. We are like two boys together: We are always insulting each other: He hates the fact that I'm so holier than thou all the time. I'm very happy he's found Deepika. I really don't know how I come into the equation. Ranbir has always spoken about all his relationships. So what stopped him from speaking about me? That should tell people that there was no relationship between us."

She isn't amused by these stories linking her with different men. Especially because papa doesn't like them. She chuckles "He reacts badly. He asked me, 'Where was the need to talk to Kunal on the set? Why couldn't you sit alone in the van, instead.' And I was like, why should I sit alone in the van? Everyone is on the sets. I old him I didn't know my talking to him was going to become such a huge controversy. He was cross about the Ranbir rumours too. He said there had to be something between us for people to talk. But when I shouted that there was nothing, he calmed down saying he trusted me. I told him, 'You better trust me'."

She grins, "At the end of the day, a father is a father. No man, no matter who he is or what he is, is good enough for his daughter. He's told me, "If you find someone who's a better man than me, who's better looking than me, richer than me, mroe famous than me, then you can marry him." I told him, "Where would I ever find such a person? You've ruined my chances. I might as well sit at home."

She informs me that unlike most modern parents hers are unusually strict with her. "I don't go anywhere without my driver. My mom has hired this girl Sangeeta to be with me all the time. Mom says people have the tendency to talk, so you must have a chaperone always. If I have to go out at night, Dad sends his spot boy Kamlesh with me. I belong to a conservative Punjabi family. My parents weren't really happy about my joining the movies. And you know, before I can refuse offers from certain filmmakers, dad has already done it saying, "Iski reputation thodi kharab hai." That's how protective they are. Every second day mom will say, "This boy is very good. I think you should meet him." And I'm like I don't want to get married. Not yet anyway. I tell them you've had your love story, am I not allowed mine? But mom thinks I have very bad taste in men."

Which men? I probe. But she isn't forthcoming on that. "I like bad boys, na?" Is all she'll say. Name them? I urge her: She won't.

Okay so what's she looking for in her dream man? Pat comes a moony-eyed reply, "Tall, dark, handsome. He has to be a daredevil. He needs to be a bad boy. Like those Mills & Boon heros. He should be a reformed rake, who changes because of me. I want that. You think it's possible?"

I nod. And she sums up emphatically, "I'm sure I am going to find someone like that. Or I'll settle for Leonardo DiCaprio. Whoever I meet first."