Sharmila Tagore was told marrying Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was ‘professional suicide’, reveals daughter Soha Ali Khan | Bollywood-OxBig News Network

Soha Ali Khan on her parents interfaith marriage

Soha shared that she feels fortunate to have her parents and, speaking about her mother, said, “Not only was my mother very empowered, she was earning her own money from the age of 13. She was working in films which, at that point, was definitely something ‘good girls’ didn’t do. And she chose to marry someone from another religion because her heart told her to do so. Her whole life, she was asked, ‘How is your husband allowing you to work after marriage?’ And she was like, ‘What do you mean, allowing?’ My father was so liberal in his thinking. I really think he broke the mould.”

Soha Ali Khan on how her mother helped her gain self-confidence

She further revealed that her mother was told marrying at the height of her career would be ‘professional suicide’ and reflected on her unconventional film choices: “Earlier, in her time, you were either the heroine or the mother, and in between, you didn’t know what to do. She always liked to try new things. She played Rajesh Khanna’s mother in Aradhana—she had grey hair and loads of makeup, even though she was only 26 or so at the time. She has always done what she wanted to do. At the height of her career, she chose to marry my father and everyone said, ‘This is like professional suicide, how can you do it?’ She said, ‘I don’t care, I’m doing this,’ and she kept working. She continues to work hard and has empowered her children. Even in relationships, she’s expressed disapproval, but she never said ‘Don’t do this’—she let me get there on my own.”

Sharmila was 24 when she married Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the titular Nawab of Pataudi and Bhopal and former captain of the Indian cricket team, on 27 December 1968. The couple has three children: Saba Ali Khan, Soha Ali Khan, and Saif Ali Khan.

Soha Ali Khan’s recent release

Soha’s horror film Chhorii 2 released on Amazon Prime on April 11. Directed by Vishal Furia, the film also stars Nushrratt Bharuccha, Gashmeer Mahajani, and Saurabh Goyal in key roles. A sequel to the 2021 film Chhorii, the story follows a mother who goes to extreme lengths to save her daughter from supernatural forces.