Sohaila Kapur: I was always meant to act
She brings every role to life effortlessly on-screen — when you watch her, you are immediately riveted by her performance and cannot help but applaud her immense skill. Her passion is evident in the roles she has played in Aarya, The Family Man, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, Phantom, and more. Well, acting does run in Sohaila Kapur’s blood — her uncles are the legendary Dev Anand, Chetan Anand, and Vijay Anand. She honoured them with an audiovisual presentation called Anand Hi Anand at Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Banjara Hills. Organised by the Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation, the event was part of the ‘Remembering Razia Baig’ series. After the event, she spoke to CE about her journey, insights, and more.
Excerpts
How did you get interested in cinema?
My mother would take me to see the movies of my three mamas, and of course, I’d thoroughly enjoy the experience. As young as five, I started writing plays with dialogue, getting my friends to perform. I was deeply interested in the performing arts, and my parents were very encouraging of this when I was a child. In fact, I appointed my father as cinematographer and security while ‘shooting’ was going on! (laughs)
But as I grew older, I observed that none of the girls in my family were encouraged to join the film industry. It wasn’t considered the ‘decent’ thing to do. Society saw it this way: ‘If you become an actress, who will marry you?’ and ‘Even if someone does, they won’t be happy with you acting after marriage!’ (sighs)
So, I ended up doing an MA in political science and in the evenings, I was part of a theatre group. And since I loved writing so much, I became a journalist at a big newspaper. But after work, I’d go do theatre. You see, I never gave up my passion for acting.
In 1991, Govind Nihalani cast me in Rukmavati Ki Haveli — that was my first film. My parents had come around by that time but were still insistent that it could not become a full-time thing. It was only in 2015 that I bagged a role in Phantom as a nurse called Ameena Bi. I surprised myself by giving most shots in one take! I was full of emotions; I told myself, ‘This is what you wanted to do all your life.’ I was meant to be there. I am living my purpose today.
Can you tell us about your uncles?
I was absolutely fascinated by Dev uncle. Whenever I would visit, he would take me for a walk in the garden. He’d jovially call me ‘nanhi-muni’, and I would be very shy in front of him because he was a superstar. Chetan uncle was charismatic and Goldie (Vijay) uncle was brainy and had a great singing voice.
What are the three qualities that an actor should have?
The first is focus. Without this, you will forget your dialogues! Secondly, you need to be able to get into the character. And finally, do not play to the gallery. Just be the character you are supposed to be and the magic will happen. Apart from this, make sure you practice and never lose touch with acting.
What is your creative process?
Apart from being an actress, I am also a scriptwriter and direct plays. So, whether it is acting, directing, or writing, the first thing I do is make sure I have some direction — how do I want to go about it? As a director, I think about how I should communicate with my actors and actresses. As an actress, I always make sure that on set, I follow the director’s lead. I’ve seen many actors who are arrogant, believing they know better. But the film is the director’s baby; I can merely suggest.
What are your thoughts on Hyderabad?
Over the years, I’ve frequently come to the city for both plays and shoots. In fact, Hyderabad reminds me of Delhi in many ways. The food is, of course, delicious…my favourites would be Hyderabadi biryani and the spicy Andhra meals. People here are so hospitable and courteous.
If you could go back in time, would you do anything differently?
Yes, of course. As a young girl, I would have put my foot down in front of my parents and said, ‘I want to act!’