Sohaila Kapur – the niece of legendary actor Dev Anand and the sister of internationally acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur – carved her personal area of interest within the trade regardless of being “discouraged from becoming a member of movies as a younger lady, whereas the lads may.” Immediately, she is thought for her robust performances in movies and sequence like The Household Man, Tadap, Prison Justice: A Household Matter, and Aarya—of which she feels her function within the Sushmita Sen-starrer was “the one which got here closest” to her as an individual.
Presently busy rehearsing for her theatre play Doubt: A Parable, the versatile artiste spoke to indianexpress.com about carrying the director’s hat for the stage, her growing-up years along with her uncles, the Anand brothers, her bond with Shekhar Kapur, weight loss program, psychological well being, and way more. Learn the edited excerpts under:
Q. You’ve gotten been a journalist, actor, anchor, director, and even a playwright. How would you describe your journey?
Sohaila Kapur: The journey has been very inventive and satisfying. I indulged in every as and once I felt impressed.
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Q. Which of those roles provides you essentially the most satisfaction, and why?
Sohaila Kapur: Maybe the vocation that enables me complete management over the topic and the place I can undertaking my imaginative and prescient. Meaning writing and directing.
Q. Regardless of hailing from a movie household, you made your on-screen debut pretty late. Was appearing not on the playing cards initially?
Sohaila Kapur: It was as a result of I belonged to a movie household that I debuted once I did. Younger ladies of the household had been discouraged from becoming a member of movies, whereas the lads may. I stepped in solely once I was sufficiently old to take care of myself and after I had fulfilled sure home duties.
Q. Take us via your growing-up years—with the well-known Anand brothers as your mamas, and Shekhar Kapur as your brother.
Sohaila Kapur: It was a enjoyable time with my mamas. We went to Mumbai in the course of the holidays and stayed with them. Watching their shoots and being launched to their co-stars was thrilling. I even interviewed a few of them for my faculty paper. I assume the making of the journalist had already began!
Shekhar, being older, by no means accompanied us. He had graduated from college by then and was busy along with his life and girlfriends! He bullied me because the youthful sibling, and I submitted to it as a result of I merely adored him.
Q. Inform us about your upcoming play, Doubt: A Parable. What do you search in a narrative—whether or not on display screen or stage—earlier than agreeing to be part of it?
Sohaila Kapur: Its poignancy and relevance to the modern world. And Doubt was simply that. It’s a narrative about how we’ve got stopped trusting one another and the disastrous penalties that observe. Are we not seeing it in at present’s world, the place wars are being fought for years and not using a resolution in sight?
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Q. Regardless of working in lots of genres and platforms, has there been a task that made you’re feeling, ‘That is it—that is me’?
Sohaila Kapur: Probably not. However maybe the function that got here closest to me as an individual was that of Rajeshwari Rathod in Aarya. A lady who defied definition. She wasn’t black and white, as most girls on display screen are typically—whether or not heroines or character artistes. Her gray shades made her extra human in an advanced world, which resonated with me. I’ve been within the trade for only a decade, so I hope to expertise many extra such characters.
A scene from the play, Doubt: A Parable, directed by Sohaila Kapur. (Picture: PR handout)
Q. Through the years, how have you ever seen the trade change?
Sohaila Kapur: I haven’t been within the trade for very lengthy. However the change I’ve observed is that there are meatier and extra various roles for older girls actors than there have been, say, 5 years in the past. And fewer tales are actually formulaic, with larger grit and selection.
Q. With age, how have you ever tweaked your way of life, weight loss program, and health routine?
Sohaila Kapur: I nonetheless really feel 21… I assume it’s within the Anand genes! However sure, age does take its toll on well being. I’ve had abdomen points proper from childhood, and I handle them at present by being extra cautious than I ever was. For example, I’m a foodie however have restricted my consuming out. I’ve skilled myself to relish ghar ka khana (home made meals) now, which I hated earlier as a result of I at all times wished to eat out. Immediately, I do yoga, dance, and gymnasium periods.
Q. Psychological well being is a broadly mentioned topic at present. Trying again, do you would like you had recognized extra about it whereas navigating life’s curveballs?
Sohaila Kapur: I’ve skilled melancholy in my youth, particularly once I couldn’t obtain what I wished. However I found tips on how to stay cheerful in each state of affairs, and that retains me afloat. Spirituality performs an enormous function on this.
Q. How would you describe your bond with Shekhar Kapur now? Do you focus on work with him?
Sohaila Kapur: Now we do, however earlier I used to be simply the irritating youthful sibling, whose pocket cash was extra helpful than her! I believe we’re extra like associates now.
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Q. How does your method differ if you end up appearing versus directing?
Sohaila Kapur: As an actor, I undergo the director’s imaginative and prescient fully. As a director, I count on my actors to undergo mine. However I additionally give them lots of freedom to discover their characters and contribute their bit to the efficiency.
