By Subhash K. Jha

Southern star Dhanush was "aghast" at the idea of endorsing a beauty soap, but actress Sonam Kapoor, his co-star in "Raanjhanaa", managed to persuade him.

On Tuesday, the unconventional-looking hero flew into Mumbai after a flash promotional trip to Chennai to promote his new Tamil film "Maryaan", and shot an ad for Lux with Sonam.

A source from the set said: "Initially, Dhanush who is extremely self-deprecating about his looks was aghast at the idea. 'How can I endorse a beauty soap?' he argued. But it was his new buddy in Mumbai Sonam who convinced Dhanush to give it try."

The "Raanjhanaa" pair shot for the ad amidst loads of bantering and rejoicing, now that "Raanjhanaa" has been declared a hit.


"It was different experience, but fun for me," said a shy Dhanush.

"Raanjhanaa" director Anand L. Rai was also present during the shooting of the ad.

"I just looked at the two of them proudly. When we began shooting 'Raanjhanaa', everyone wondered what kind of a pair Sonam and Dhanush would make. Now they've been unconditionally accepted as an onscreen couple," said Rai.

Sonam finds good friends thanks to 'Raanjhanaa'

Working with actors like Dhanush, Zeeshan Ayyub and Swara Bhaskar in "Raanjhanaa" has left Sonam Kapoor with good friendships to cherish.

"I made good friends, very good relationships. The kind of friends I made in Zeeshan, Swara and Dhanush, Himanshu (writer Himanshu Sharma), I don't think I'll be able to make such good friends again. The chemistry shows in the film," Sonam said here Wednesday in an interview.

Sonam says as much as the audience enjoyed the witty one-liners by by Dhanush, Zeeshan and Swara in the movie, she also loved them.


"They (the one-liners) were written beautifully with a lot of humour and were very witty lines," said the 28-year-old.

"An actor's (dialogue) delivery also matters and all three of them said them beautifully, and it packed more punch... I was very entertained," she added.

Directed by Anand L. Rai, "Raanjhanaa" released June 21.