NO CONCEPT OF HERO OR HEROINE ON OTT: SONAM KHAN
After hitting pause on a successful film career in the early ’90s, actor Sonam Khan wants to start afresh — as a ‘newcomer’. But she isn’t chasing the big screen
Having wowed audiences in cult films such as Tridev (1989), Ajooba (1990) and Vishwatma (1992) — actor Sonam Khan quit films after getting married to filmmaker Rajiv Rai and giving birth to son Gaurav, and moved to Switzerland to focus on her family. The 51-year-old is now contemplating making a comeback, but not with films.
“I am not interested in doing movies,” she tells us, adding, “I really want to do something on OTT because with the web, there is no concept of hero or heroine — just characters. I find OTT platforms more inclusive, too, and the stories are ageappropriate, which isn’t always the case with Bollywood films.”
However, Khan, who was a bankable name during her short initial film career in the late 80s and early ’90s, doesn’t really want to call it a comeback. “I feel like I am starting all over again, as a newcomer. So, I am still waiting to find a script good enough. I am not questioning the roles offered to me so far, but they didn’t resonate with my sensibilities,”.
Hailing streaming for the kind of opportunities and variety it offers, not to mention how stories and characters are executed on the other small screen, she can’t wait to face the camera again. “OTT gives you the chance to be yourself. In whatever content I have watched so far, I see women coming up the way they are. For instance, Manisha Koirala in Heeramandi is amazing. Only an OTT project with will offer you that scope and depth. Across shows, there are several characters and everyone gets their own space,” she notes.