Penguin India is proud to announce that it will publish Soha Ali Khan’s debut book in 2017.
Titled The Perils of Being Moderately Famous, the book will be a collection of humorous, and sometimes bizarre, stories on her life as a royal princess (her official title is Nawabzadi Soha Ali Khan of Pataudi and Bhopal) and a ‘moderately famous’ celebrity, as she likes to call herself.
Soha Ali Khan: ‘If I had a dollar for every person who told me to write a book, I would have umm . . . six dollars. I do love to read and I do that quite well (510 words a minute), so it can’t be much harder to write, right? I also have some time on my hands, as most actors often do (stop sniggering). I can use this time creatively to pen down memories, some insights from what surely must be a life less ordinary. I am a princess after all. Try not to imagine me saying that whilst stamping my feet in a silver sequined dress with a tiara on my head. And as a person of royalty, surely I am entitled to some royalties! But a word of caution—if you are hoping I will reveal the secret behind Kareena’s glowing complexion or how Bhai trains for an action film then, I am afraid you are barking up the wrong book. Although, in its pages there may be a passing reference to some of the idiosyncrasies of the more famous members of my family, the bulk of it, I’m afraid, is about . . . well, me. Just me. Is my life really worth writing about, or more to the point worth you paying to read about? Well, the good news is you’d be right not to wait for the movie.’
Editor’s Statement: ‘Having read a few chapters, I can safely say Soha was born to write. She has amassed a huge fan following not only for her movies but also for her witty repartee on Twitter, and her charm and wit continue to shine in this brilliant collection of personal essays where she recounts with self-deprecating humour some of the most poignant moments of her life—from growing up as a modern-day princess to life as a celebrity in the times of social media culture.’—Gurveen Chadha, Commissioning Editor
About Soha Ali Khan: Soha is an Indian film actor who has appeared in movies such as Rang De Basanti, Tum Mile and Go Goa Gone. She studied modern history at Balliol College, Oxford and earned a Masters’ degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
She is the youngest daughter of actor Sharmila Tagore and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the 9th nawab of Pataudi. Both her father and paternal grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, were former captains of the Indian cricket team. Her older brother is Saif Ali Khan and she’s married to actor Kunal Kemmu.
Soha’s most recent release was 31st October, a true story focussing on the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination.
Photo credit: Shivaji Storm Sen
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