Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
Bollywood

I Was Not Encouraged To Be Actor: Soha Ali Khan

IANS, 18 Dec, 2017 12:54 PM
  • I Was Not Encouraged To Be Actor: Soha Ali Khan
Soha Ali Khan, an Oxford graduate who pursued a masters degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, says her parents didn't particularly encourage her to take up acting but never discouraged her from following her heart either.
 
Soha is the youngest daughter of veteran actress Sharmila Tagore and the late Mansoon Ali Khan Pataudi.
 
"As far as acting is concerned, I wouldn't say I was discouraged from acting but I was not encouraged to be an actor. My parents certainly felt my personality was not suited to acting in Hindi films and so I would be happier and better at doing something else. Also, they felt, like any parent, a little protective as there's a lot of competition, insecurity and unpredictability in the film industry," Soha told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
 
She says they always wanted her to opt for something "stable" and so she gave working at Citigroup as a private banker a try.
 
"It was about making my parents proud and especially for my father... I wanted to make him proud. I knew he wanted me to do something more in the corporate space. So I tried that but my heart was really not in it, which is why then I started working in films. It was a difficult choice but I knew my parents would embrace it whole-heartedly.
 
 
"Ultimately, they wanted me to be happy. They were not ones to dictate that 'You're not allowed to do this, or you must do this'. They believe in letting you go and let you live your life. They will be there to pick you up if you fall down," added the actress, now a mother to a girl.
 
Having featured in films like "Rang De Basanti", "Tum Mile" and "Go Goa Gone", Soha has come up with her debut book titled "The Perils of Being Moderately Famous", in which she talks about how she is not "really" in the league of her family members and yet not being "entirely anonymous".
 
She says even though she was drawn to the acting world, there was always an emphasis on education in her family.
 
"Especially in my mother's side of the family. My mother's mother had a masters degree, which was very rare at that time for a woman. Education has always been prized in our family," said Soha, whose mother Sharmila is related by birth to the famous Tagore family of Bengal.
 
"I always wanted to study. There has also been a tradition of going to the Oxford University... My grandfather, my father... So, I wanted to go there. I would like my daughter to go there too, but I wouldn't put pressure. It's a wonderful place to study. And more than what you get there academically, it's the whole life of being there, the exposure to that history and architecture, making the contacts... It's great education."
 
 
On the career front, she hopes to be back to the screen soon though she is enjoying her motherhood phase. She gave birth to her and actor Kunal Kemmu's daughter Inaaya Naumi Kemmu in September.

MORE Bollywood ARTICLES

Soha Ali Khan: Of Big Shoes And Small Feet

Soha Ali Khan: Of Big Shoes And Small Feet
"She's woken up," Soha Ali Khan exclaimed before she hung up to attend to her newfound world of motherhood.

Soha Ali Khan: Of Big Shoes And Small Feet

Ali Zafar Welcomes London Mayor Sadiq Khan To Pakistan

Ali Zafar Welcomes London Mayor Sadiq Khan To Pakistan
Pakistani actor Ali Zafar welcomed the Mayor Of London Sadiq Khan, saying Lahore is open to friendship.

Ali Zafar Welcomes London Mayor Sadiq Khan To Pakistan

Patriotism Has Become A Formula: Anurag Kashyap

Patriotism Has Become A Formula: Anurag Kashyap
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap says patriotism has become a formula and a common theme of films.

Patriotism Has Become A Formula: Anurag Kashyap

Celebs Salute Valour, Courage Of Indian Armed Forces

Celebs Salute Valour, Courage Of Indian Armed Forces
Popular Bollywood celebrities like Ajay Devgn, Sidharth Malhotra and Esha Gupta have saluted the courage and the "supreme service" of the Indian Armed Forces on the occasion of the Armed Forces Flag Day on Thursday.

Celebs Salute Valour, Courage Of Indian Armed Forces

'Mr India' Gave Anil Kapoor, Shekhar Kapur A Friend For Life

'Mr India' Gave Anil Kapoor, Shekhar Kapur A Friend For Life
"Mr India" lead actor Anil Kapoor says the Hindi movie gave him a friend for life in filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, whose 72nd birthday fell on Wednesday.

'Mr India' Gave Anil Kapoor, Shekhar Kapur A Friend For Life

'Fukrey Returns' Is Fast-Paced With Lot Of Action, Says Ali Fazal

Actor Ali Fazal says the upcoming film "Fukrey Returns" will be action-packed and fast-paced as compared to its first instalment -- "Fukrey".

'Fukrey Returns' Is Fast-Paced With Lot Of Action, Says Ali Fazal