She's no more: Sonam Kapoor explains how 'Neerja' is different from all other Bollywood biopics

Sonam Kapoor's Neerja released on Friday and has brought in excellent figures on day one. With a positive word of mouth boosting the film's performance at the box office in the days to come, Neerja is turning out to be a triumphant project for everyone involved. As for Sonam, this is certainly her career-defining performance till date. Brushing aside all the flak she has received for her acting over these years, Neerja is one film that has shut all her critics. 

Here. Sonam Kapoor takes up the mic to talk about the difficulties she faced while doing the film and how this is very different from other biopics.

Farhan said that despite his research, he got to know a lot more about Milkha Singh while filming for BMB. Did the same happen to you with Neerja?
I will tell you the difference between Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Neerja. Farhan got to discover a lot of things while shooting. But I could not have done the same. Neerja is not alive. Farhan had the opportunity of meeting Milkha but I never had the chance. For me, I knew about her while we were younger as we used to have one or two footnotes about her in school. There was an idea of who she is and three years ago, I got offered this film. I said yes to it because the script is incredible. And I was like this is an amazing opportunity to work on a biopic. I wanted to do a lot of research, work extra hard and do extra workshops. The more I got to know of who she was, the more I was in awe of this person! She was principled, sensitive and always morally right. She was brave, a family person and a loyal friend. But most importantly, she was this young, ordinary girl but had all her values intact. This is one person who we should all strive to be. Her sacrifice should be an example of inspiration to everyone else. I spoke to her friends, her family and there was a case against the terrorists which I was following. I put her up on a pedestal and I learnt so much from her. So less about her, more from her. While doing the research, I found out so much about her. Once I was on set, I had to be her. I could not be awe of her because it will make things difficult. I would be too scared to play her then. But I had to believe everything she believed in because that's the only way I could become the person. 

There's a part you take away with you from every film...
That happens with every character, I believe. For all my films, I have taken back a part of all my characters home. The amazing thing about Neerja was that she had some really incredible qualities which I hope I imbibe. I feel everyone needs to give her that respect. She is a hero, she is a civilian, the youngest Indian to get an Ashok Chakra. It's not only what she did on the plane, it was also about why she did it. Because she always believed in doing the right thing. Obviously, she was scared when the incident happened but still had the courage to do what she did. The way Ram shot the film is not how regular films are shot. For all films, you shoot one-two-three scenes a day and do different takes. Neerja was shot in documentary style. For example, all the hijackers, the passengers and Neerja were on the plane for 16 hours. So we shot everyday for 16 hours! If something happened at 2 o clock, we would replay exactly what happened on the plane for 16 hours every day. It started at 2 am in the morning and continued till 4 pm the next day. We started all fresh and by the end of it, the blood, the beating, everything was real. Nothing is fake in this film. We had to live through the same thing every day. By the end of the whole schedule, when I got out of the plane, I felt that I could actually get out but Neerja didn't! I am at least lucky. It was heartbreaking and exhilarating at the same time. 

You have played fictional characters while this one is inspired from someone in reality. How different is your approach?
It's very different. Fictional characters are all imagination. You create them either by yourself or with the assistance of your director, the writer and everyone around. A real character is someone you have to become. Unfortunately, since Neerja isn't with us anymore, there is a lot of imagination involved in creating the person. But you have a reference point as well. I saw her ads, then there's a lovely recording of her where I could listen to her voice. I got to meet all her lovely friends and create the character with the help of a lot of tools, unlike others. Julia Roberts could meet Erin Brockovich, Farhan could meet Milkha Singh and Priyanka could meet Mary Kom. so there's a living talking example which you can copy straightaway. But with this, it was a bit of both.

Was it difficult because there isn't any reference?
A lot of people play historical characters and it's always difficult. Honestly, Neerja should be a part of history books now. It was difficult and liberating at the same time. At the end of the day, you gather all the information about her and you learn it. On set, you just create it. It's all there like a muscle memory. 

Are you happy Neerja is releasing at a time when these films are gaining prominence at the box office?
I think I am happy because the content of this film is relevant to this time. It's not the usual content-driven film. This one has issues like hijacking, terrorism, religious conflicts which are global issues in today's times. I want this film to do well, not because of records but the numbers will show that people have actually gone to watch this film because they should.