(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Growing up in one of Bollywoods most famous families Soha Ali Khan is surprisingly independent and well adjusted.
Anyone who thinks that Soha Ali Khan is living in the shadows of her more famous mother and brother are in for a realty check: This is one Bollywood actress with nothing to prove.
It’s no secret that the 36-year-old has made only fleeting appearances on the big screen some to critical acclaim but the daughter of yesteryear’s star Sharmila Tagore and sister of current heartthrob Saif Ali Khan said she’s on a constant path of self-discovery and having an educational safety net has always been her main priority.
After studying at the prestigious London School of Economics as well as Oxford Khan spent some time in the corporate finance world before making the decision to follow in her family’s footsteps. A self-proclaimed “grandmother” in the industry when she first joined Bollywood ten years ago she has never regretted focusing on school and her career before film.
“From the age of 17 I was offered scripts. If you are from a film family at some point someone will want to make a film with you” she said. “I was very clear with my parents that I had to go to college and finish my education before I even considered working in films. At that point I never thought that working in this industry was for me.”
Khan is refreshingly candid when it comes to discussing her life as an actress. With not so much as a glimmer of hesitation in her voice she speaks honestly about her disdain for much of Bollywood cinema which she feels has become a commercialised juggernaut of box office numbers that overshadow much of the real talent to be found in India.
“I didn’t watch a lot of Hindi movies which I now realise was me being supremely arrogant and not really knowing what I was talking about” she explained. “Now having worked in the industry I understand there are all kinds of films. Not all of them may be for me but there is certainly a space for someone like me who may not be your ‘typical Hindi film heroine’.”
Much of her chagrin towards Bollywood has to do with the way actors are given work. Unless a film does supremely well at the box office the offers are few and far between something that she feels is a major hindrance towards the development of the industry. But unlike most other players in the film world Khan is secure in knowing that regardless of what happens in her film career she will always have other skills to fall back on.
“I come from a family of superstars but I feel that I have a strength in my education which sets me aside in my own family” she said. “They all appreciate and look up to me because of my education which makes me feel special.”
When Khan says that making it big in Bollywood is of no consequence to her happiness it’s hard to question her honesty. She has been famously selective in choosing scripts and admits that she is hardly “ecstatic with my career” but that there are bigger factors at play in the way she moves forward in cinema.
“I’m attracted to the performance - I’m not interested in being very famous or making a lot of money” she said. “I really feel that those are things that complicate your life because I’ve seen fame and fortune around me firsthand. I’m not trying to compete with my mother and brother I just really enjoy acting.”
In person Khan is almost clinical in her interactions the result of growing up in a world where she abstained from showing emotions. With a demeanour that is incredibly direct and no-nonsense she forced herself to explore different shades of her personality in order to grow as an actress.
“I was always a very composed person I didn’t really show my emotions” she said. “Then suddenly to have to cry in front of a room full of people and do the insane things that actors must do it was really a hit. It was a huge unlearning and relearning process.”
While she insists that chasing the spotlight is not a priority in her life with the upcoming nupitals to fellow actor Kunal Khemu all eyes will be on the couple as they reportedly plan their star-studded wedding for late January of 2015. After a long relationship with Khemu she doesn’t shy away from divulging the secrets to longevity in love.
“I just think that you have to understand that you can’t control anyone and you shouldn’t have huge expectations. It’s certainly a lot of negotiation adjustment and compromise which are not romantic words at all.”
With a positive outlook on the future Khan is looking forward to working on her next film project based on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. A self-proclaimed student of history she is realistic about what she ultimately leaves behind.
“I don’t want to be remembered” she said bluntly when asked about her legacy. “Only very few people are remembered for their achievements but I have no aspirations to be great or remembered. I’m only interested in being happy in my lifetime.