Soha Ali Khan believes being raised by her famous and successful yet humble parents grounded her and her siblings Saif Ali Khan and Saba Ali Khan. While their father Mansoor Ali Khan aka Tiger Pataudi was a renowned cricketer, their mother Sharmila Tagore is a seasoned actor. But Soha insists that despite his economic and inheritance privileges, her father saw a lot of losses.
“Of course, he came from huge privilege and an aristocratic background, but he did see a lot of loss in his life. He lost his father at the age of 11, he lost his eye, he lost his homes and lands, lots of things happened. Perhaps he was affected by it in his own private time, but as far as I could tell, it didn’t really shake his sense of self too much,” said Soha.
In the interview with The Quint, the actor said that she learnt from her late father how to take things in your stride. “Things like fame and fortune come and go. They shouldn’t define you. It’s very easy to attach yourself to them. Competition, ambition, the rat race, followers, and getting popular are all part and parcel of the same thing. It’s important to have a stronger sense of self,” added Soha.
Mansoor Ali Khan succeeded his father as the ninth Nawab of Pataudi, a town in Haryana, after the latter died while playing polo on the former’s 11th birthday in 1952. Although the former princely state of Pataudi was merged with the rest of India after Independence in 1947, Mansoor held his title, land, and other properties till 1971 after such entitlements were abolished by Indira Gandhi’s government post the 26th amendment to the Constitution.
Mansoor lost his right eye in a car accident in London in 1961 after pieces of the windscreen penetrated and permanently damaged his eye. However, despite the career-altering injury, he went on to play cricket extensively, even becoming the youngest captain of the Indian team in Test cricket at the age of 21. He died of a lung infection at the age of 70 in 2011.
Meanwhile, Soha also hailed her mother Sharmila as an inspiration even today. She watched most of her mother’s movies after becoming an actor herself. “And that’s when I understood not only her achievements as an actor, but also her versatility, her ability to work in English, Hindi, and Bengali. And I was hugely impressed by her work ethic,” said Soha.
Story continues below this ad
Last year, Sharmila headlined the Marathi film OutHouse. This year, she played the lead in Suman Ghosh’s Bengali psychological film Puratawn. “In fact, even today at the age of 80, she’s had a movie released this year and last year. She still enjoys working and having an income. I think the independence really makes her happy. She gets excited about the money also. It’s nice and empowering to make your own money, and of course the decisions you can make independently as a result,” added Soha.
Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
