She is not your conventional Bollywood heroine.
With her pedigree, dreamy features and fine sense of humour, Soha Ali Khan is destined for bigger things and offbeat films like Antar Mahal and 99 were steps in that direction.
That Khan is a beauty with brains goes without saying — refer to her time at Oxford University and London School of Economics as well as Ford Foundation and Citibank before she made the switch to films.
‘‘I don’t think I have a head for numbers, actually.
In banking, it’s more about transaction.
I do have the ability to manage time and be punctual, and to multitask.
One day, I think I’ll be a good producer,’’ she says.
But what explains her choice of dull projects like Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge and Shaadi No.
1? Well, the actress, who has learnt invaluable lessons from her famous family, is allowed to make mistakes.
And we’re delighted to announce that her time has come, thanks to Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children.
More from the actress:
Midnight’s Children etc
I play Samira in the movie.
When it comes to following the tenets of religion, she is more orthodox and self-obsessed than I am.
I am slightly carefree in attitude.
I read Midnight’s Children when I was in college, in 1998.
And I re-read the book a year ago.
The intelligence of the author and the control of the language floors me.
I learned a lot while working with Mehta.
She pushes you to thoroughly research the character.
And she gives her own interpretation and encourages you to work on your body language.
I watch a lot of movies when I’m free.
The last one was The Warrior (2011).
I loved it.
The human element of the story reduced me to tears.
My pick for the Oscars? I guess The Descendants is a bit overrated.
It was little too indulgent.
As for Moneyball, I was falling asleep while watching it.
Art of comedy
I have been told by my director that I am funny, in real life and on screen.
With comedy, you get a lot of help from dialogues.
And if the dialogue and your co-actors are good, then half of your work is done.
Then of course, you can teach someone to play dramatic characters but you can’t teach comedy.
Rules of living
After Midnight’s Children, my life has changed to an extent.
I’ve met great friends.
I also did a workshop organised by Deepa Mehta which kind of helped me as an actor.
I hope the movie does well in the international market.
I have learned not to expect anything.
I have learned to take everything in my stride.
If you expect something, you generally end up disappointed.
For a good relationship, there has to be compromise between two people.
You can’t allow your ego to get in the way.