A SUPERSTAR DAUGHTER'S BRUSH WITH ART & FAME

AFTER TAKING A SHORT BREAK TO ENJOY MARRIAGE AND MOTHERHOOD, LAILA KHAN FURNITUREWALLA IS BACK IN THE STUDIO, PAINTING AND EXHIBITING. SHE CHATS WITH HELLO! ABOUT DISCOVERING HER TRUE CREATIVE PASSION BEYOND THE FAMILY TRADITION OF ACTING, HONING HER ARTISTIC SKILLS AND HOW FINDING LOVE HAS TRANSFORMED HER

- NAYARE ALI

She is the glamourous daughter of India’s iconic stylish star and late legendary actor, Feroz Khan. With her illustrious background, a career in Bollywood might have seemed the most natural choice. And with her striking appearance, one can only imagine the abundance of movie offers that came her way.

Laila Khan Furniturewalla is refreshingly candid. “Yes, I did [receive many film offers]. I guess it was inevitable. But I was brought up in a protective environment. My father was very modern in the way he portrayed women in his films. But when it came to his daughter, he was very protective,” she reveals, adding, “I wouldn’t say it did not cross my mind. It was an artistic pursuit. But it was not something that would have been encouraged, to be honest. The women in our family are not into movies but we are all creatively inclined. I must be very comfortable in my environment and when I am painting, I feel completely comfortable. I felt this is where I belong.”

Despite being born into a Bollywood family, Laila was not raised in a conventional manner. “My father was not a typical movie star who was surrounded by fawning admirers. Our home was filled with poets, artists, intellectuals and people from all walks of life. We were taught to respect all,” she says. Laila’s father and mother, Sundari, were self-made and passed on those values to their children. Laila recalls their passion for fine art. “They both had a keen eye; we had a good collection of art at home. I remember society hostess, the late Parmeshwar Godrej, had done our farmhouse in Bangalore [now Bengaluru]. She was so ahead of her time. When I went to her house as a child, I was fascinated by the art in her home. I was impressed by an Anjali Ela Menon painting; I loved the mood she captured, the melancholy and the colour palette she employed at that time.”

A JOURNEY IN ART