‘Dharmendra was paying a little extra attention to me and she didn’t like it.’
IMAGE: Sonia Sahni in Maya.
She did a kissing scene in the 1960s, and was promptly nicknamed the ‘Kiss Girl’.
But Sonia Sahni achieved fame when she was cast as Rishi Kapoor’s mother in Raj Kapoor’s blockbuster Bobby. She was only 26 then.
Glamorous, elegant and able to speak Hindi-Urdu with ease because she was born and raised in Kashmir, Sonia had a long but strikingly unconventional career for 50 years.
“I was told Rajji had gone to Sadhana first for Bobby He wanted to change the image of the typical Hindi screen mother and present a younger mother,” Sonia Sahni tells Rediff‘s Dinesh Raheja.
“Sadhana refused because she had a problem with her eyes. Meanwhile, I was shooting for O P Ralhan’s film at RK studio where Rajji saw me act and said ‘I want this girl for the role’.”
Did you know Ankhiyon Ka Noor Hai Tu, filmed on you in your debut Johar Mehmood in Goa (1965) has crossed 70 lakh views on YouTube?
(Hums the mukhda). All the films I made with Joharsaab as director were good.
Amazingly, I had not even seen Goa while acting in this film. They recreated Goa in Madh island, Bombay.
I saw Goa for the first time in 1995!
What’s ironical is that I have now settled in Goa because my son Ketan has opened a restaurant there called Analogue. Life has come full circle.
Your debut made waves because you did a kissing scene, quite revolutionary for the 1960s. You were called the Kiss Girl.
I was playing a Portuguese girl so naturally, my way of greeting would be a kiss.
I was supposed to be in love with the leading man (I S Johar) so I kissed him on the lips.
IMAGE: Sonia Sahni in the song Ankhiyon Ka Noor Hai Tu in Johar Mehmood in Goa.
Were you a bold newcomer?
I am from Kashmir and quite conservative.
I would say: ‘I won’t wear this’, ‘I won’t wear that’, so Joharsaab sent me to a Parsi lady who made me understand that in this film, I was playing a Portuguese girl.
Since I was totally new, I got lots of training from Mr Johar and his directorial assistants.
I was only 17. My name was changed too.
You were Usha, right?
I am still Usha (laughs). But they wanted a name more in keeping with my Portuguese character.
So my co-star Simi Garewal suggested to Mr Johar that my name should be Sonia.
Did you get along with Simi? This was also her first hit film.
She is a nice, helpful lady who would tell me, ‘Don’t do this’ or ‘Do your hair like that’.
I got along with Mehmood too. He would make us laugh a lot.
IMAGE: Sonia Sahni and Clint Walker in Maya.
Despite the success of Johar Mehmood in Goa, why did you work only with actor-director I S Johar initially?
I signed a five-year contract with G P Sippy’s company in which Joharsaab was a director. I was paid on a monthly basis and was given a flat, a car and a driver on the condition that I could only work in I S Johar’s movies.
I received several offers from other filmmakers but was not allowed to accept them.
You did do an American film Maya in 1966. I S Johar was in the cast too.
That was my second film. It was big news because at that time, I was the only Indian actress who had worked in Hollywood.
The film starred Clint Walker and his son was played by Jay North (famous for playing Dennis The Menace).
I played Clint Walker’s housekeeper and some scenes suggested that I was opposite him.
How did you extract yourself from the contract?
I pleaded with Joharsaab to let me work in other films. But he refused saying, ‘Or we will end the contract.’
I agreed.
IMAGE: Sonia Sahni. Photograph: Kind courtesy Sonia Sahni
Was it tough to strike out on your own in the film industry?
The first year was hard because I had no contacts, but God helped me at every stage.
I signed Bandish with Dara Singh’s son (Parduman Randhawa) as my leading man.
I told its producer I would do his film on one condition: You have to pay me all the money now because I want to buy a house. With the money from Bandish, I bought a beautiful two-bedroom flat at Carter Road, Bandra (north west Mumbai).
Why did you start accepting second leads and character roles?
I did films as a heroine opposite Dev Kumar and Sailesh Kumar. Unfortunately, I was not getting roles opposite the leading heroes of that time.
I was friendly with actress Zaheeda and grew close to her family members, like Nargis and Sunil Dutt.
When I asked them for advice, they cited Raaj Kumar’s example and said that he may not be a hero but he is still a big star. So I started accepting non-heroine roles and my career really started from that point.
Even if I was playing the second lead, my role would be better than the heroine’s. What more did I want?
I got big movies with directors like Raj Kapoor, Manmohan Desai and Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
I was very happy because as an actor, I could show my mettle.
IMAGE: Sonia Sahni in Bobby.
Arguably, your most memorable role was in Raj Kapoor’s Bobby (1973) as Rishi Kapoor’s mother.
I was told Rajji had gone to Sadhana first for Bobby. He wanted to change the image of the typical Hindi screen mother and present a younger mother. Sadhana refused because she had a problem with her eyes.
Meanwhile, I was shooting for O P Ralhan’s film at RK studio where Rajji saw me act and said, ‘I want this girl for the role.’
If it had been offered to Sadhana, I knew it would be a good role.
I said, ‘Main yeh role karoongi‘ though I was only 26.
You had an impactful scene in which your character finally explodes at her husband (Pran) for forcing her to prioritise social obligations over her son. What was it like to be directed by Raj Kapoor?
‘Na uska kuchh bigda, na aapka. Main hi baanj jaisi reh gayee‘ (quotes her dialogue verbatim).
On every morning of the shoot, Rajji would sit in my makeup room and explain the scene.
He would say, ‘Sonia, I have defied many people and cast you because I know you will do it.’
And I would reply confidently, ‘I will’.
IMAGE: Pran and Sonia Sahni in Jungle Mein Mangal.
Was your screen son Rishi Kapoor amiable?
He was a cute baby, still a teenager then.
Pran and you also teamed up in Jungle Mein Mangal.
That movie was inspired from Archie comics.
I played a teacher who is romanced by a professor Pranji during the song Tum Kitni Khubsurat Ho.
I did several films with Pranji.
You worked a lot with Hema Malini too — Sharafat, Jugnu and Chacha Bhatija.
Hema Malini would take panga with me.
She didn’t like me though I was not saying, ‘Talk to me’ or ‘Be friends with me’.
I think Dharmendra was paying a little extra attention to me and she didn’t like it.
IMAGE: Sonia Sahni with husband Shivendra Sinh, thakur sahib of Palitana. Photograph: Kind courtesy Sonia Sahni
Tell us how you fell in love with Shivendra Sinh of Palitana.
Shiv and I first met at my rakhi brother’s birthday party. He said I would like to meet you again and I retorted, ‘Why?’
But I liked him because there was something very nice about him. He was a real gentleman and God’s good man.
Was there opposition to your marriage, considering he was from a royal family?
If his family had any objections, they never showed it.
They were too educated.
His younger sister Gayatri was a good friend of mine.
All of them were very warm.
I am mami to the rajmata of Jaipur, and whenever there is a get-together, they go, ‘Mami ko zaroor bulana‘.
Did your husband’s death propel you back into acting?
His death was a big shock to me.
My son was in Class 7 in a boarding school at Mayo but he suggested that I return to acting rather that be lonely at home.
I did many television shows like Kkusum. Santoshi Maa was the last serial I worked in.
What is your life like today?
I am busy with my grandchildren, Vir Singh and Arjun Singh.
My daughter Kiran is a pilot with Indigo.
I have a lovely family and the best daughter-in-law.
I have retired now.
