Courtesy: IndiaFM
Friday, November 04, 2005
Not your typical Bollywood belle, what strikes you first about Soha Ali Khan, is the poise with which she conducts herself. Maybe 
that is because royalty is in her blood! Soha Ali Khan can be known by virtue of all her family members. Her father is Nawab Mansoor Pataudi. Her mother is the lovely Sharmila Tagore. And of course, her brother is the current heartthrob of the country, Saif Ali Khan. That is quite a legacy to live up to! Her attempt to dabble in meaningful cinema comes with Rituparno Ghosh's Antar Mahal. We spoke to the actress, just before the release of the film.
What is Antar Mahal about?
It is a very interesting and different kind of film. It is set in the 1870s. It deals with a zamindar played by Jackie Shroff and his two wives. The elder bahu is played by Rupa Ganguly whereas the choti bahu is played by me. It is essentially about a man's struggle for immortality. He wants to be remembered. This movies also talks about the condition of women in society in those days. These are the two principal themes in this film.
Tell us about your character in the film.
I am playing the choti bahu. Essentially, she is not a strong person at all. She has been highly exploited and oppressed. She is weak and broken on the inside.
How did you prepare for this role?
I think a lot of my preparations had to do with mannerisms and gestures. I am completely the opposite to my character in the film. I am a confident, liberated, ambitious working woman living in Mumbai. That's not at all what my character is. There is a particular way that people sat in those times. Women wore saris; there was a particular way of doing namaste, greeting people and serving people. My character does not make a lot of eye contact. I had to get rid off the openness and confidence that I have on a day-to-day basis. I had to be somebody from as opposite as me as you can get.
Your look in the film is very different. What kind of detailing went in your look?
My director has such a wonderful aesthetic eye. In terms of detailing, there was not too much make up because the movie is set in the 1870s. There is the kajal and the kohl lined eyes. The hair of course, had to be long, sometimes open and sometimes in a bun. I also used sindoor and alta to complete the look. Women in those days didn't wear blouses with their saris. I have worn the jewellery specific to that era. This was the kind of detailing that was done.
What was your experience of working with the director, Rituparno Ghosh. He is known to be a very sensitive director.
As a director, he is a gift to the actor. He takes you through the emotions. If an actor is confused about a particular scene, he will enact it for the actor. That kind of assistance is wonderful for the actors. He has a very aesthetic eye.
How was it working with the other actors in this movie?
They all made me feel very comfortable. Abhishek is a lot of fun on the sets. He helps you to relax. I had some very challenging scenes with Jackie Shroff, Abhishek Bachchan and Rupa Ganguly. Being relatively new, I was very nervous. I was never really aware of my inexperience.
Can you recall any particular memorable incident while you were shooting?
Actually yes! You know, I have never slapped anyone in my life. In this film, I have to slap Abhishek. I was nervous, firstly because he is Abhishek Bachchan and secondly he is so tall! I was wondering how I would reach up to slap him! I was up the whole night thinking how I would do it. The next day I went up to Rituparno and told him that I was nervous. He took me aside and asked me to slap him! I told him I could not because he is my director! I managed to slap him softly and he was like "Slap me hard." After slapping him about 20 times, he told me to go and give the shot. So I was quite comfortable slapping Abhishek Bachchan!
What is that one factor that made you take on this role?
The fact that it is a hugely challenging, performance oriented role. I don't believe that I will get another role like this in my life. I believe in the cause of the film that highlights the oppression of women. As a woman, I am sensitive to that. Also, because as I mentioned earlier, this character is the total opposite of what I am in real life. I wanted to learn what life was like for women in those days. It is so removed from what my life is like but I am aware that a lot of people are still in that position. There were a lot of intellectual and emotional reasons for doing this film.
In your career so far, you have done a lot of regular Bollywood potboilers. Would you say the experience of working in this film was different?
Every film is different for me. Doing a David Dhawan film is quite different from doing a Rituparno Ghosh film. I have had different experiences in all my films. Directors have different styles of working. The languages and get-ups in all the films are different.
What is the USP of Antar Mahal?
The film has been beautifully shot. Each character has a lot of depth and complexity to it. Beautifully written, it is a dark film, but also one that is socially relevant. From a social and cultural perspective, it teaches you a lot about the conditions in Bengal in the 1870s. Yet, these conditions are still prevalent today.
Lastly, tell us about your forthcoming films.
You will see me in Antar Mahal on the 28th, in Shaadi No.1 from the first week of November, in Rang De Basanti, by January, hopefully. I am thinking about what to do next. I will be taking on some new projects, for which I will start shooting soon.
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