SOHA ALI KHAN

WITH A NEW SERIES OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS LINED UP, THE PATAUDI PRINCESS TALKS MOTHERHOOD, FAMILY, RETURNING TO ACTING AFTER A LONG BREAK AND HER 'RETIREMENT FUND' WITH HUSBAND KUNAL KEMMU

- PUJA TALWAR

“My husband’s away, the baby’s asleep, and I’ve booked myself a massage. I like having some alone time; it’s precious to me,” says Soha Ali Khan, as we connect for a post-dinner chat on her second book. This time, a children’s novel titled Inni and Bobo Find Each Other, which comes five years after her debut work, The Perils of Being Moderately Famous, a witty narrative on being a ‘fringe member’ of a famous family.

Inspired by her four-year-old daughter Inaaya, Soha co-authored her latest book with her husband, actor Kunal Kemmu. Inni and Bobo Find Each Other: Inni and Bobo Adventures is the first in the planned series on a little child finding friendship, adopting dogs, learning empathy and imperative life lessons, and opening one’s heart and homes.

 

“Everyone was after me to get down to writing, especially my mother. She’d religiously ask me about it during our weekend catch ups. Kunal does not enjoy reading as much as I do, though our child loves to be read to. We decided to put together a book for her birthday, and it turned into a catalogue of Inni and Bobo and their numerous adventures. Inaaya herself has contributed to the stories, with many characters a child of her imagination. She’s well aware that she’s the star of the book!”

No stranger to life in the spotlight, being the youngest of Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and actor Sharmila Tagore’s three children. Soha admits the constant scrutiny and social media frenzy around star children is worrisome. Most recently, her nephew Taimur Ali Khan, was trolled for asking the paparazzi to stop filming him, drawing a strong reaction from the family.