Sonam Kapoor was inspired by these veteran actresses for her role in Raanjhanaa

From controversial politics to inter-faith romance, Aanand L Rai’s Raanjhanaa had several relevant themes that made it a must watch when it released. The film that stars Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol and marked the Bollywood debut of Dhanush, clocked eight years since its release today.

Since her debut with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya, Sonam has evolved as an actress, the National Award for her role in Neerja is proof enough. While preparing for her bubbly character in Raanjhanaa, Sonam took inspiration from Jaya Bachchan’s 1971 film Guddi.

Revealing the same to Pinkvilla, Sonam said, “Zoya is a bubbly and free-spirited girl. It was difficult initially but then I saw Guddi and got inspired by it. Even Jaya Bachchan was in her early 20s when she played the role of Guddi, so I got the energy, spunk and body language of a schoolgirl after watching her film.”

The actress also mentioned that Wahida Rehman’s character from Guide was another inspiration for Zoya. “I have completely copied Waheedaji's performance in Guide in my film Raanjhanaa,” the actress added.

Dhanush was also lauded for his role as a Tamil Brahmin boy from Banaras in the film. Meanwhile, his recent movie Jagame Thandhiram has been trending on Netflix since its release. The actor is also busy shooting The Russo Brothers’ The Gray Man alongside Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas and Regé-Jean Page.

Raanjhanaa can be streamed on multiple OTT streamers including Jio, Zee5, Eros Now and Apple TV+.