‘I was inspired by my real-life Shah Jehan’

Born in France, brought up in Pakistan, educated in England…this grand-daughter of yesteryears legendary singer-actor Noor Jehan has yet to reconcile to the fact that she is now a Bollywood star by sheer chance. 

“It was all thanks to Akbarsaab’s persistence and conviction that I decided to take up this challenging assignment. Somehow he was confident that my face and persona would perfectly portray the royal princess. During my very first photo-shoot on the spectacular sets at Jodhpur, I was asked to wear the lavish ornate costume and accessories.

"Even as I was in a dilemma as to whether this was the right thing I felt an inner voice saying ‘hey this is too awesome to be true—-just take it up’," recalls the ‘already-married’ Sonia, who has a fetish for wearing Indian sarees.

“No, I can not differentiate between the Indian and Pakistani cultures. It’s almost identical - the passion for music and movies and of course, the food and vibrant clothes,” she says, when asked whether she would contribute in bridging the Indo-Pak troubled waters.

After playing an immortal character like Mumtaz Mahal, was she wary of the conservative tag that would be attached to her when it came to her subsequent roles. “Frankly speaking, I am not in a desperate hurry to grab roles because they have to be challenging enough. And then I am definitely not interested in sleazy skin-show roles. If an actor is gorgeous enough, she doesn’t have to get into a ‘strip-tease’. Although I am a dancer, in ‘Taj Mahal’ I hardly have any dancing to do, Rather, I am watching others swaying to classical ragas of the Mughal era. Maybe in my next movie I hope to gyrate to a rocking disco number.”

She feels that “this historical role is a huge responsibility because this movie would be a celluloid reference for posterity”. What about the intimate scenes with co-star Zulfikar Syed? “Initially I was a bit hesitant but I had full faith in my director and he has shot them aesthetically,” she counters.

Was it not a test of her enduring patience that the film has taken three long years to be completed? “If Shahenshah Shah Jehan could take over 20 years to build his marble monument, I guess our crew and cast have every right in taking just over 20 months to bring to life a meticulous, lavish yet authentic ‘action-replay’ of one of the most celebrated romances in Indian history,” counters Sonia Few are aware that Sonia is happily married to Delhi-based top-notch banker Vivek Narain.  

Fortunately, I have the liberty to pursue creative vocations. In fact, I got married long after I had started shooting for the movie.  But my real-life Shah Jehan (hubby Vivek) has been so encouraging,” smiles Jehan.