‘I had lied to Yashji about my age. I was only 13-and-a-half, but I told him I was 18.’
‘When the time came to travel to Yashji‘s famous Swiss shoots, I had to get a school leaving certificate.’
‘When I gave Yashji the certificate, he almost fell off the chair.’

So many actors had short-lived careers and made an impact in the little time they had.

Bakhtavar Khan, rechristened as Sonam by Yash Chopra, was one of them.

The actor got a break in Yash Chopra’s Vijay (1988) but went on to have a short career.

In 1991, she quit films to marry her Tridev and Vishwatma Director Rajiv Rai.

By the age of 21, she was a mum.

The actress turns 51 on September 2, and wants to make a comeback in the movies.

In an interesting two-part interview, Sonam tells Patcy N/Rediff.com why she owes “my career to Rishi Kapoorji.”

‘I wasn’t interested in acting. I wanted to be a teacher or an air hostess…’

My parents were originally from Bhopal. I am born and bought up in Bandra (north west Mumbai).

My mother was a housewife and father was a manager in a garage.

One day, my father lost his job, and it was decided that I would start working.

So I started working when I was 13-and-a-half. It was the best decision of my life.

I wasn’t interested in acting. I wanted to be a teacher or an air hostess…

But the need of the hour was that I had to earn money and for that, the movie industry was a good place to start.

I was very happy that I didn’t have to go to school.

‘I owe my career to Rishi Kapoorji’

‘My uncle is Raza Murad and my grandfather was Muradsaab‘

Zeenat Aman is my mother’s cousin. Her father and my grandmother were siblings. But I have never interacted with her.

I did a photoshoot and took those pictures to Feroz Khansaab. He liked them and took my screen test.

I was supposed to do my first film with him; it was called Yalgaar.

But for some reason, he wanted to do Dayavaan and he told me that I cannot play Vinod Khanna’s wife because I was too young. He did not want to cast me in the daughter’s role because I would get typecast.

Amala was an established star in the south, so it would not make any difference for her.

But for a newcomer like me, if I was introduced as a sister, I would be playing a sister all my life.

Once I went to meet a film-maker, and met Rishi Kapoor. I clearly remember Rishiji telling me, ‘Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here.’

He asked me to see Yash Chopra.

So I took the same screen test to Yashji and he immediately signed me on. He said it was a huge multi-starrer, and that I will not have a big role in the film.

The industry people then started clamouring up to sign me because Yashji was introducing me.

I signed 20 films in about six months.

It was very sweet of Rishiji because my career was made because of his gesture. I owe my career to Rishi Kapoorji.

‘I was only 13-and-a-half, but I told Yashji I was 18′

My first release was the Telugu movie Samrat opposite Ramesh Babu. I signed it around the same time as I signed Vijay.

Samrat was the remake of Betaab and I was playing Amrita Singh’s role. Ramesh Babu was Mahesh Babu’s elder brother.

I had lied to Yashji about my age. I was only 13-and-a-half, but I told him I was 18.

When the time came to travel to Yashji‘s famous Swiss shoots, I had to get a school leaving certificate.

When I gave Yashji the certificate, he almost fell off the chair.

I completed 20 films in my career’s short span.

‘I had a larger-than-life experience with Shashi Kapoor’

I have done three films with Naseeruddin Shah: Chor Pe Mor, Tridev and Vishwatma.

He was a very professional actor and never threw his airs around me. He never made me feel like a newcomer.

I’ve never had bad experiences with any of the actors I’ve worked with.

Naseersaab was very helpful.

Chiranjeevi sir was very professional.

Govindaji would hold my hand and practice the dance steps before the shoot.

Chunky (Pandey) was more like a friend. We would be joking around.

Mithun Chakraborty was senior, so he would guide me how to do a scene.

Working for Shashi Kapoorsaab in Ajooba was such a great experience. He was so generous.

When we were shooting in Moscow, he made sure all of us we had a interpreter. We were treated like royalty.

I had a larger-than-life experience with him.

‘It’s sad that I gave up on my career’

All my movies were close to my heart, but it’s sad that I gave up on my career.

I regret the fact that I didn’t value what I had because I got things very easy.

I wish that I had stayed on because I feel my best was yet to come.

At the time when I was being called a sex symbol and everybody wanted me in bikinis and kissing shots — of course, that’s not a problem — but Pahlaj Nihlani saw something in me and offered me Mitti Aur Sona, where I was a central character.

I also worked in Pahlaj Nihalani’s Bengali film Mandira opposite Prosenjit.

Pahlajji always showed a lot of confidence in me.

He was one of the people who weren’t happy when I was planning to leave the industry.

‘I’ve always been ahead of my time’

People called me a sex symbol in the late ’80s and early ’90s and it didn’t bother me. Why should it bother me?

If I am called a sex symbol today, I don’t care.

It’s not a bad word, you know?

I’ve always been ahead of my time.

I have never cared what people think and say.

As long as my parents were happy with me and I was happy with them, that’s all that mattered to me.

God was on my side and I got work. It was easy.

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