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Thoda Delhi, thoda Gurugram: Soha goes down memory lane
The place you spend your childhood in, its lanes, gardens and markets, all leave an imprint on you, as you go about making memories you would cherish for a lifetime. For Soha Ali Khan, Delhi is that city.
“I’ve spent around 13-14 years growing up in Delhi. I’ve many memories from the city,” says the actorturned-author, who did her schooling at The British School, Chanakyapuri. “I remember going to Priya Cinema in Vasant Vihar and [the restaurant] Arabian Nites. There was a time, when we used to drive to the airport to see air planes taking off. It was in the ’90s. You can’t do it now, because of the highways.”
Now, when the actor visits the Capital, it’s mostly about visiting Pataudi, her ancestral town in Gurugram district. “I actually don’t go out. There are some great food places like Karim’s in Old Delhi... I would like to go there. Actually, Delhi has changed a lot in these years. The flyovers, roads and that AIIMS area looks so different,” says Soha.
Back in the day, she would make frequent visits to Khan Market, which according to Soha, has become “trendier” now. “But in those days, there was [just] a music shop, a book shop and some others shops to visit. I don’t know how many places exist now, but I’m happy to see that music and book shop intact.”
When she travels to Pataudi, she takes the Gurugram-Manesar route. The actor reminisces, “When we were young, the Gurugram route was all green. There were no buildings or any construction. Now, every year you visit, there is more infrastructure and development. When we were young, and needed to go to the bathroom, we’d go behind the trees. Those days, it was not that crowded and as children, we could do that. Now, you can’t imagine it!”
A resident of Mumbai for several years now, Soha now lives with her husband, actor Kunal Kemmu and their nine-month-old daughter Innaya. “My family lives in both the places (Mumbai and Delhi) so I’m attached to both. Winters in Delhi are amazing while summer is better [in Mumbai because] it’s neither too hot nor too cold.” But when it comes to traffic snarls, the actor prefers Mumbai. “At least you can reach [someplace] on time, but this sounds impossible in Delhi,” she signs off.