Princess DIARIES

SOHA ALI KHAN MADE A COMEBACK TO CINEMA WITH CHHORII 2. SHE TELLS SUMAN SHARMA WHAT ATTRACTS HER TO THE HORROR GENRE AND THAT TAKING A SABBATICAL WAS HER OWN CHOICE

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She's royalty but the way she speaks about bringing up her child you identify with her. Being a parent yourself, you relate to both her worries and triumphs. She stayed away from film to be one with her daughter, and taking a break from careers is a choice most mothers willingly make. But she’s back with a bang with Chhorii 2, a horror film which speaks against both female infanticide and child marriage. Hers is a grey-shaded role, and she seems to be a natural fit in it. It’s as if she has never gone away from films. Soha Ali Khan has always been selective in any case and she understands it’s a privilege. She talks about her comeback and more in a freewheeling interview. Excerpts:

Chhorii 2 has a strong social message wrapped in horror. What drew you to the sequel?

For me, social message is important. But a film, especially a horror film, should be entertaining and should actually scare you. When Vishalji (Furia) narrated it to me, I couldn’t relate to it and I wondered why he wanted to cast me. I thought this is a great opportunity for me too to test myself as an actor and to step out of my comfort zone. So the number one reason was the horror, the atmosphere. The second reason was the social message. The story concerns a seven-year-old child who is in danger because of some quaint practices which exist. We need to be vigilant about protecting our children.

Was there a scene in Chhorii 2 that genuinely scared you during filming?

My character is grooming a child for a nefarious purpose and the very idea that a woman can do something like that to a young child filled me with revulsion. She too went through something similar as a child and yet she choses to inflict the same horror on someone else. It’s a cycle of violence, abuse and viciousness. Ths was the most disturbing aspect for me.