Sonam and Abhay sizzle offscreen too

They brought a whiff of freshness to the silver screen last year and they are in no hurry to succumb to the lure of predictability.

Sonam Kapoor, who put in a spirited performance in the otherwise forgettable flick Delhi- 6 , and Abhay Deol, who was the explosive Dev. D , may be able to flaunt their star connections, but they’re not the tantrum- throwing, talentless silver spooners of yore. The duo, awaiting the release of their latest film Aisha , where they’ve been paired together for the first time, are the guests on Koel’s red couchâ€¦ err, stools, this weekend.

First, Koel points at their great chemistry. Could they date in real life? “You think?” asks Deol, looking at Sonam. “Naah!” exclaim the two, bursting into a fit of laughter. Kapoor says she could never date Abhay because he’s a hippie – she came to that conclusion because he wants to live in Goa. “So? I will build a bungalow and live in style. That doesn’t mean I am a hippie,” he counters.

But Sonam is not coy about appreciating Deol’s professional capabilities. “We love working together,” she says. And Abhay is all praise for the rapport they have. “We can tell each other if we’re upset. But at the same time, we don’t hold grudges,” he says.

Sonam goes on to detail the similarities between her life and By Mail Today Bureau in New Delhi the commercial for Mont Blanc- the brand she endorses. “I also went up to my dad [ Anil Kapoor] and told him I wanted to be an actor. He told me I’d have to do it on my own, because he couldn’t launch me. I told him he didn’t have to, because Sanjay Leela Bhansali had already offered me a film,” she says, with her infectious giggle.

Abhay, meanwhile, insists that star children have it harder, because they are already being compared to their families.

“If there is a certain perception about your family, people don’t see you outside of it. And there is always the opinion that you have it easy, no matter how hard you work,” he says. He goes on to say that there is a greater need to prove oneself – which is why Abhay says he lives on his own.

“Right opposite your parents’ house,” quips Sonam. When Koel asks her why Abhay was cast in the film, she promptly responds with, “Because he has dimples.” As Koel writes in her blog on http:// blogs. intoday. com : “They are different, without doubt, and yet they fit. He, the grungy face of independent Indian cinema.

She, the fashionista, who knows her labels inside out. How does this mismatch, match? Two words – respect and patience.

Both flow in abundance between them.

“It’s not an obvious friendship.

But there is unmistakable ease and trust. They are the new thoroughbred professionals. Success is fleeting. They instinctively know that to last long work ethics is paramount. Their families would expect nothing less of them.” The two talk about Aisha , which is set in Delhi, but manage to avoid the clichÃ©s associated with it. For starters, it is not set in Chandni Chowk. Instead, it depicts the glamorous, ‘ chi- chi’ side of the Capital. “High- society Delhi is all about appearances, having the right clothes and car, and getting married into the right household,” avers Sonam.

When someone asks them about the one thing that they hate about Bollywood, they chime together, “The hours, man!” – a grouse that they probably share with the person on the street. And it is precisely this connect that could well be the reason for their popularity.