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Taking it slowly

Soha Ali Khan discusses her latest movie, `Ahista Ahista,' a `dramatic romantic' film

PHOTO: AP

FINDING HER feet Soha Ali Khan

Only two years old in Bollywood, Soha Ali Khan is not yet an idol. Yet the actor is already a celebrity.

Dressed casually and smiling graciously at cameras, she is at ease with the attention and confusion. She has mastered the coy expression and drops her chin while flashing her eyes. She classifies her latest film `Ahista Ahista' as a "sweet romantic movie." The movie, directed by Sivam Nair, is based on Ankush (Abhay Deol), who works as a witness in the office of the marriage registrar in Delhi. Megha (Soha Ali Khan) from Nainital, and a stranger to Delhi, ends up depending on him owing to unforeseen circumstances.

"The two of them come to share an interesting chemistry. The movie is about the development of that relationship." Born into film families, Abhay and Soha's choice of career probably came as no surprise. But while they confirm the advantages of being star kids, they also assert their own credibility. Soha agrees with Abhay that coming from the industry, one might get a head start. Soha confirms in a clipped accent, "I get to meet the top producers and directors because of what my brother is and what all my mother has achieved, but it is so competitive today that one has to contribute oneself."

Having worked at a bank and an NGO before entering films, Soha says, "I had conscientiously avoided being an actor. But there is something very seductive about the film world. It has been two years and I have not looked back."

`Ahista Ahista' has been shot largely in Delhi. To Soha, Delhi is home, having spent 14 years here. She says it was difficult to control the sound, people and light, while shooting in Old Delhi. "It involved riding rickshaws, wearing burqas and managing a crowd. We had to shoot at night in December, but we were faking summer, so it was challenging!"

Shoots with mom

Asked about work plans with her mother and brother, Soha mentions the NatureFresh ad she did with Sharmila Tagore, which she found "terrifying." But currently, Aparna Sen has approached the mother and daughter duo for her forthcoming movie `Jewellery Box.'

Having acted in a Bengali "art movie", she says, "Bengali cinema is very different from Bollywood. The pace is different. For people in Bengal, a movie is a product of love. Bengali cinema has many female protagonists and I appreciate that."

NANDINI NAIR

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