Actor-producer launches her memoir with her mother and commoners at two different extremities of the city. By Angela Paljor and Kritika Dua
Indie actor and just-turned author Soha Ali Khan is in a chatty mood these days. Without the burden of stardom, she mixes quite easily with a bunch of customers at a South Delhi outlet of a telecom major for impromptu conversations about her new book. And that’s when we see another facet of her multi-talented persona. She lives down her pedigree and moults into something else — an expert storyteller. A skill that sees her signing many books at the formal launch later in the evening at Bikaner House with her mother Sharmila Tagore looking upon her with indulgent gaze. Soha, who is perpetually defined by her association with her more famous family members, has finally been its standout figure.
At the telecom outlet, walk-in consumers throw random questions which she handles with aplomb. Why a memoir and not fictionIJ “Because my memory is better than my imagination,” she retorts. In her own tongue-in-cheek way, she hands out lessons she learnt from her family and other elements that have shaped her personality, be it travelling, love, relationships and recent motherhood. “There are a lot of mysteries around what’s its like to be part of a royal family, being Tiger Pataudi’s daughter, an actress, sister of Saif Ali Khan, sister-in-law of Kareena Kapoor Khan and Taimur’s aunt. I have addressed all of those queries in the book using humour as the tool. I hope it can make people laugh,” she tells bystanders.
On juggling acting and writing simultaneously, she says, “I believe that I can do both. Of course, it’s different when it comes to films as it’s a group effort. A lot of people’s hard work and money is invested in a film. When one writes a book, the process is quite solitary as it’s just the author and the laptop.”
Contrary to perception, Soha likes mixing with the crowd, be it at the store or interacting with fans on social media. “I love a direct mode of interaction with my fans. Trolling is part and parcel, so I take it with a pinch of humour and sometimes respond to it. I love freedom of speech, giving everyone the right to express themselves.”
She is uncertain though about whether she wants to try her hand at script-writing but is keen to write more. “I did enjoy the process of writing and maybe my next book will be called Perils of Being a Parent.”
However, films are still part of her core umbra. She along with husband Kunal Khemu are producing a film based on the life of ace lawyer Ram Jethmalani. “It will be difficult to zero down the aspects to highlight from his career spanning 70 years. The shooting process will begin this year.” And yes, should ever a film get made on her famous dad and mum, she would like to see Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt essay them. Forever the professional.
By the evening, Soha settles down into her more cerebral side. With TV anchor Barkha Dutt as moderator and her mother Sharmila as a co-panelist, she slips into her chair with a beige silk shirt paired with a navy blue jacket. She begins by calling The Perils of Being Moderately Famous a self-replicating book. “I love my family but I still had to discover myself,” she says. Narrating an incident during the launch in Mumbai, she says, “It’s funny how creative people become when they have to ask me something regarding Saif and the family. At the end of the launch, a journalist stood and asked ‘Rest is fine but what are your plans for Taimur’s birthdayIJ’ But I always look at my life through a prism. I’m not a poor little rich girl, I’m am just who I am.”
The room lights up when Sharmila, elegant as always, steps in donning a tissue saree — green with light shades of gold coupled with pearls and jade neck pieces. Together the mother-daughter duo throw light on the relationship they share. Sharmila says that the two never had an argument that became sour. “Unlike her siblings, Soha has always been inclusive. So we hardly had any issues as I was aware of her whereabouts,” shares Sharmila, passing a smile to her daughter. “Though we have had differences in opinion I always knew that she cared for me. There was a time when I became interested in Christianity, mainly because I was curious and also because there was a certain boy. later I became very serious about adopting Christianity and as always, we had an interesting conversation over dinner. Amma very gently told me that I shouldn’t be so quick to decide anything,” adds Soha.
Other than the generational difference, the two share a strong bond and traits. “One thing that no one knows about us is that we both are competitive. Together we solve crosswords and even when travelling, we keep a check on each other’s score,” says the daughter. Barkha goads her further on talk about nepotism. “Being a part of the film industry, what do you think of the gerenational differenceIJ”
“Thats huge” replies Soha, “I think Amma’s generation was far more progressive than ours. This generation is a little regressive in nature.” Sharmila defends saying one cannot drop guard at a time when the social media seeks an immediate reaction to every action. “Now, if you say anything, it is bound to have certain repercussions, especially on one’s career. So some tend to be guarded on social media. The present atmosphere was absent during our time and we were surer of our identity.”
Barkha steers the conversation towards the relevance of women in India today, particularly in films, and pay parity. Soha is aware that there is a long way to go and that Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone are more exceptions than the rule. “But the rest of must keep striving for the better though it might not resonate everytime.” She knows considering she has been on shaky ground herself when she entered the industry. “Amma was very insecure about me joining the industry as she herself had experienced it.” Sharmila voices her concerns that flooded her at that point. “One loses privacy on joining the industry. Thus, there’s a great need to be strong headed to cope with the pressure. I kept on telling her never to marry an actor as there is limited time for the two to share if the two are successful. If not, too much of time spent together often raises insecurity.”
However, Soha’s final ode is to her education. “I have never regretted being a part of the film industry. Having entered the 40s there is limited roles for us. But there is always something to look forward to. I have a strong educational background and work experience, giving me plenty of options to work on.”
Photos: Pankaj Kumar