Soni Razdan recalls being written off after marriage; TV helped her return to acting

Veteran actor Soni Razdan reveals a tough stretch in her career after marrying filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt in 1986, when film opportunities dwindled and she felt she was being “written off” by the industry. She credits television with keeping her working and helping her stage a comeback, a journey she described in a PTI interview.

“I was sort of written off, people didn’t bother about me at all. Then I came back. In fact, Siddharth P Malhotra’s father was the one whose company gave me work consistently. So, I was shooting every month, but not for more than eight or 10 days,” Razdan said.

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Television helped her return to acting

Razdan noted that television in the 1990s provided a steady stream of work, helping her stay active and rebuild momentum. She cited shows such as Junoon and Saahil as key to keeping her connected to acting. “That (TV) was what gave me the strength to come back into acting. Then after that, things followed on from there. So, many other things happened,” she said.

She also reflected on the parallel cinema movement of the 1980s and the changing opportunities for performers. “They (Naseer and Shabana) set a trend at the time with alternative cinema that grew in those days… They got great roles. Everybody wasn’t as fortunate. But we followed on from there and did different things. Television came in, then films changed a bit, and then OTT came, so there’s an evolution which has taken place over so many years,” Razdan said.

“When you are older, you become much freer”

Looking back at her career, Razdan said age has brought greater freedom in choosing roles and a shift away from worrying about how she looks on screen. “When you are older, you become much freer. I’m having fun, actually,” she said.

Razdan is currently part of the Netflix series Shaque, which features an ensemble cast including Parineeti Chopra, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Harleen Sethi, Jennifer Winget, Sumeet Vyas, Anup Soni and Chaitanya Choudhry. The project represents another phase in her shifting career landscape, moving from traditional cinema to streaming platforms. DPIFF’s latest newsroom coverage has tracked such shifts in industry opportunities.

Soni Razdan plans to direct a film

The actor also revealed she is developing a film she intends to direct. While she did not share specifics, Razdan described the project as complex and said it has taken time to assemble. “I’m planning to direct something, and I’m working on it. We unfortunately can’t talk about it. It’s a movie, and it’s very interesting. It’s taking a long time to put together because it’s quite complex. I’m not going to act in it,” she said.

Razdan married Mahesh Bhatt in 1986, and the couple have two daughters, Shaheen Bhatt and Alia Bhatt. With her ongoing work in Shaque and directing ambitions, Razdan continues to navigate multiple phases of her career.

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Also Read: Alia Bhatt praises mom Soni Razdan’s Om Ka Hari: “A gem of a film so full of heart”

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