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Soha, so good!

Photo: G.P. Sampath Kumar

Of substance Soha Ali Khan

Now how do we begin a story on the pretty and petite Soha Ali Khan without mentioning the ultra-hot shoot for Maxim, the men’s magazine? While we are itching to ask her about that oh-so-sensational move, she pooh-poohs any suggestions of an attempt at an image makeover. “A makeover it definitely wasn’t. I wanted to do, so I did it,” she says with so much conviction that you almost feel like jumping up for joy. Attagirl!

Long pushed into the sidelines by critics and audiences as a star kid who hasn’t half the attractiveness of her mother and veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, or the charisma of her brother Saif, Soha has finally come into her own. No, she isn’t leaning on her Rang De Basanti portrayal alone. Anyone who has seen Mumbai Meri Jaan, a sensitive film about the Mumbai 11/7 blasts, is only praising her. “I am just so happy I could hold my own against actors like Irrfan (Khan), Kay Kay (Menon) and Pareshji (Paresh Rawal). My character didn’t get lost,” she says, almost with a sigh of relief.

Rang De… may be her most appreciated performance in her four-year screen presence, but the girl is in no hurry to prove herself or grab offers like there’s no tomorrow. “There are very few author-backed roles for women in India and I don’t know if that situation will change in even the next 50 years!” she laments.

Soha’s list of upcoming films reads thus – Dil Kabaddi on sexual politics between couples, with Irfan Khan and Rahul Bose-Konkona Sen, Tera Kya Hoga Johnny with Neil Nitin Mukesh where she plays a young model, Dhoondte Rahe Jaaoge, a comedy with Kunal Khemu, 99, an adventure caper with Kunal again and Cyrus Broacha and Boman Irani, and a Mukesh Bhatt film with Emraan Hashmi which is, expectedly, a romantic story. She’s trying to move away from the serious girl image but mind you, no makeover.

“Well, it is really frustrating for an actor to be typecast. So while some filmmakers think of me as a sensitive actor who can only do serious cinema and characters who cry – nothing wrong with that of course, but I love doing musicals and comedies as well,” she says of her variety of roles waiting to burst forth. “I choose my films after deliberating over the script and my character,” she adds. Does she enjoy working with young newcomers, such as Nishikant Kamat, the internationally-acclaimed director of Marathi film Dombivli Fast, who has made Mumbai Meri Jaan? “I’d love to work with newcomers but being a young actor myself, I don’t want the entire film to hinge on me. So something or someone more established has to be a part of the project,” she explains about her decision to be choosy.

Mom Sharmila seems to be actively on the lookout for a ‘good’ son-in-law? “I always tell her the media is not where you splash your intentions to get me married off,” Soha laughs, “Also, I keep hinting to her that I have older siblings who are not married and she could focus her attention there!” Ask her about some description of what her ideal guy would be like and she says, “I have very high standards.”

We got the list from her.To whomsoever it may concern, she wants someone better than her who can respect her profession. “I am kind of spoilt, immature and foolish,” she says with pride. If you can deal with that, throw in some fun, witticism, and sporty qualities too. That should be all. Since the list is complete, we ask her if actor Siddharth manages to clear all of these ‘hurdles’. “No names at all. I am reticent about personal space,” she smiles. Granted.

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