SOHA ALI KHAN

Is she Waheeda Rahman? Is she Meena Kumari? Is she Vyjayanthimala? Soha Ali Khan’s Nikhat in Sudhir Mishra’s Khoya Khoya Chand is a blend of all these and much more. At times she is Aan’s Princess Rajshree (Nadira) and at times she is Saheb Biwi Aur Ghulam’s Chhoti Bahu (Meena Kumari). But what is she really?

t2 caught up with the actress on the verge of a whole new innings.

Sudhir Mishra calls Khoya Khoya Chand your second debut. Would you agree to that?

What he means by that is Khoya Khoya Chand is my first “heroine film”. I don’t think I have really had so much ownership of a film before. I don’t think I have got to play the title role in a film, got to play an author-backed role. It’s also my most glamourous film till date. So in that sense he means that it is almost my first film. Which I would agree with. I have never had this kind of onus on me before.

How did you react when you were offered the film?

I was very excited when he called me because I had just seen Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and I wanted to work with him. And then when he actually read the script out to me, I was even more excited because it was such an important role for me. I could sense immediately that it was going to be very challenging. There’s so much scope in the film. There’s so much breadth and depth in the character. To have all of that in a film directed by Sudhir Mishra and produced by Prakash Jha... it was easy for me to say yes!

When you signed the film, how aware were you of the Indian film industry of the 1950s and 1960s, in which the film is set? I had seen some films — like we all have — like Mughal-e-Azam or Saheb Biwi Aur Ghulam or Kaagaz Ke Phool. I had seen all the landmark films of the period. But I hadn’t seen as many films as I went on to see as preparation for the role. And then of course I saw a lot of films. Mainly those of Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Waheeda Rahman and Vyjayanthimala. And the more I saw the more terrified I became with the ambitious nature of what we had set out to accomplish. Especially with my character.

So you didn’t try to model yourself on any actress in particular?

The film has the feel of a biopic because it is set in a certain time period and it traces the rise to stardom of this girl called Nikhat. But it is not based on any particular actor. The idea never was to try and be like one of those legendary actors. I guess the whole concept was to present my character as a professional colleague to all these actresses. As if she was around at the same time as them. There are, of course, references when we were looking at the styling of the character. So in some scene I may look like Waheedaji or in some other like Madhubala. But when it came to characterisation, it was entirely Sudhir’s vision. Nikhat is very much her own person.

So there’s no truth whatsoever in the talk of Khoya Khoya Chand being about the Guru Dutt-Waheeda Rahman romance?

No. I think Sudhir is a big Guru Dutt fan and he’s, of course, seen a lot of Guru Dutt films. And this film is also about the love story between an actress and this poet who is also a director and is also set in the same time period when they existed so it is natural to imagine that Khoya Khoya Chand is like Kaagaz Ke Phool. But it’s not at all like that. It’s very separate from their love story.

Did you ever talk to your mother (Sharmila Tagore) about what Hindi films used to be?

She was there mostly from the mid-60s but she had seen the 1950s and it was very fresh for her. Also, when she was entering the industry, her inspiration would have been people like Meena Kumari and Madhubala and she would have surely seen their films. So I did chat with her... But when it came to the styling of the film, she was more useful... helping with pictures and all. Also, when we were researching on the look of the 60s it was her picture which came up most often because she was considered this style icon. When it came to the actual performance, though, it was entirely Sudhir. Also, I don’t feel my mother is really interested in interfering in that field.

Having been so closely associated with that period throughout the making of Khoya Khoya Chand, would you have liked to be in the movies in that era?

Absolutely! I understand that we have progressed a lot in terms of society and womankind but I really feel that at some level we have regressed in many ways. Especially in terms of writing of roles for women. In the 1950s women had openings like no female actors have today. Male actors would die to work with a Meena Kumari. The minute they would hear that she is in the film they would agree to do it! That kind of stature... That kind of aura... Yet on the other hand there was a huge social stigma for women being in films. There is, of course, a lot more respect today. So, there are benefits and there are challenges. I am glad that I am in the industry today because it is a little more forgiving. Today it’s about just being a character rather than being a fully accomplished heroine. In those days, you had to sing and dance, do action and tragedy and comedy and look flawless through it all. Today you can get away without being able to do anything. What I wish is that there can be more challenging roles for women today. There’s talent in this country but there’s not enough opportunity to display that talent.

And who would be your favourites in the Khoya Khoya Chand period?

I will have to say Meena Kumari. I loved her in Saheb Biwi Aur Ghulam. I liked Waheedaji in that film too. It’s so difficult to choose. Madhubala had so much sex appeal in one eyebrow and was so beautiful in all her films. She also did comedy very well. You had Nadiraji who was so classy in films like Aan and Hunterwali. She did action and rode a horse. Oh, it was a different breed in the 50s.

Would you say Nikhat is a worthy colleague of all these legends?

I have seen the film. I can’t say about my character but it is a beautiful film and it does take you back to the 50s. It is a wonderful celebration of the film-making of that era. It is a very positive film. It really touches you. And it shows you with a lot of respect what actually happens behind the scenes. What happens when the actress goes back home and takes off her make-up, her relationship with her mother, with her lover, her professional work. To present those scandals with love, is beautiful.