Story Time Folks!
From acting to walking the ramp for ace designers, from writing books to being a fulltime mommy, Soha Ali Khan is someone who truly wears many hats. And this time around, Soha Ali Khan, the Pataudi princess, daughter of Sharmila Tagore and the late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi is all set to share the magic of storytelling via India's first celebrity audio podcast show, Story Time with Soha Ali Khan.
Soha, who studied Modern History at Balliol College, Oxford and earned a Master's degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, says that books have had a profound influence on her. “In terms of expanding my vocabulary and helping me to become more expressive - in exciting my imagination and ability to both visualise and empathise,” she says in an email interview.
Soha adds that books had also helped her to concentrate and sit still and be engrossed for long periods of time minus digital devices or television.
In fact, Soha's non-fiction debut book, The Perils of Being Moderately Famous, which has some humorous anecdotes about her life as a royal princess has been a bestseller. The charming author-cum actor is married to actor Kunal Khemu. The couple has an adorable daughter Inaaya Naumi Kemmu, who is already a star on social media. “I would like to write again but after becoming a mother I've been struggling to find the time,” says Soha, who often shares cute photos of her daughter and family on Instagram.
Talking about her latest podcast show for kids, Soha says that the eight stories that she is reading are short, entertaining and deeply rooted in the Indian context. “We wanted the stories to be relatable and gripping. For this, we have collaborated with seven of the country's best publishers, who gave us a bunch of exciting stories to choose from.” The podcast was spearheaded by Chiki Sarkar, founder of Juggernaut. One of our stories is published by Juggernaut.
Books have left a lasting impression on many minds, and Soha is no exception. "They have taught me life lessons like The Old man and the Sea by Hemingway. They have broadened my perspective like the Little Prince as well as the Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde. They have given me direction such as the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, and made history more fascinating a subject when told in the form of magical realism such as Rushdie in Midnight's Children.
When pointed out that many people still prefer conventional books to audio books, she says, “This is rapidly changing. Audio books and other content is in fact becoming more palatable and practical now. Many people like to listen to books while they are commuting or doing other things around the house or at work. Though it may be slow to pick up in India at the moment, audio is definitely the future of books.”
In an age, when most kids are strapped to technology, Soha feels that there is a lot of kid-friendly content on YouTube etc…which kids consume and learn from. “It's not only games they play on the computer. This podcast is another experience we are offering and we are positive that kids will enjoy storytelling,” she says.
Starting February 28, Soha will read eight handpicked stories, written by Indian authors on the podcast show. She says that the whole idea is to inculcate the habit of reading in kids. When asked about her favourite story in the show, she says, “The Rumour. It's the last story. I can't give out too much. But let me just say that it has an important life lesson. Also, it's poetic and I really enjoyed it.” At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter whether one is reading a physical book or listening to a story, as long as one can experience the stories!
Books have had a profound influence on me. In terms of expanding my vocabulary and helping me to become more expressive. — SOHA ALI KHAN, ACTOR-CUMAUTHOR ACTOR-AUTHOR-FULLTIME MOMMY SOHA ALI KHAN IS ALL SET TO SHARE THE MAGIC OF STORYTELLING IN INDIA'S FIRST CELEBRITY AUDIO PODCAST SHOW FOR KIDS…