Sonam's eyes got moist while answering certain questions from the media and she struggled to control her emotions.
"Anything that is emotionally challenging kind of makes you grow as a human being. You learn how to be better through everything especially if something pushes you beyond a certain limit. Anything that Neerja Bhanot has brought into my life is being positive, it's not strained me, it's made me stronger," she said.
Bhanot was awarded the Ashok Chakra for saving 359 lives from the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi in 1986, though at the cost of her own life.
Sonam was a bit skeptical as to whether she will be able to portray such strong character as she is just an ordinary girl. But Shanti Sivaram Maini, her agent and co-producer of the film, who came to her with the story, assured her that Bhanot was also an ordinary girl before her feat.
"And after that I was like, I better give this like 3000 percent. Not because of anything but because you owe it to her and her memory. And after I met her family, I owe it to her family, to be as honest as possible and do my very best," said Sonam.
She feels Bhanot's attachment to her family and her principles were aspects which she sees as common to her.
"Neerja" has been directed by Ram Madhvani and also stars Shabana Azmi.
