Soni Razdan has often been identified through her family connections as the wife of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and the mother of actor Alia Bhatt. However, when asked to describe herself beyond those relationships, Soni offered a different answer. Speaking to Galatta Plus, the actor said that her strongest and most consistent identity has always been that of an actor who continues to look for meaningful work. “I was a struggling actress.
After I married Mahesh Bhatt, I’m still a struggling actress. After I became Alia’s mother, I’m still a struggling actress. That’s who I am,” she said. Soni explained that acting remains at the centre of her professional life and that she continues to value the opportunity to work with directors and other artists. “I’m just an actor who really loves acting. And I’ve had the opportunity to work with some wonderful people, some wonderful directors,” she said. The actor also looked back at the early years of her career and spoke about the difficulties she faced while trying to establish herself in the industry.
Soni said she believes her appearance may have played a role in limiting some of the opportunities available to her when she was younger. She recalled a period when the industry had a more limited idea of how leading women were expected to look. “I wouldn’t say it’s been a very smooth ride for me. Because I’m sure if I had looked much more Indian, it would have been a lot easier,” she said. However, Soni made it clear that she did not believe her talent was the reason for the difficulties.
“Because I don’t think I’m lacking in the department of talent. Perhaps it was my unusual looks that didn’t fit here,” she added. She also felt that the situation could be different for an actor starting out today. “And perhaps, if I had been 25 today, that wouldn’t have been an issue. But when I was 25, that was, I think, the hurdle I had to face,” Soni said. Before entering films, Soni had started her career in theatre and initially imagined that she would continue working on stage.
“But I started with theatre. And I always thought I would be a theatre actor, not realising that theatre doesn’t give you any money. So very soon, I had to come down to reality,” she recalled. She also wanted to be recognised for her acting rather than simply her appearance, saying she wanted to be known as an actor instead of a “glam doll”. Soni was most recently seen in Shaque: Trust No One, which is currently streaming on Netflix.
