Soha Ali Khan

Soha Ali Khan Pataudi (born 4 October 1978) is an Indian actress who has worked in Hindi, Bengali, and English films. She is the younger daughter of veteran actress Sharmila Tagore and former India cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan, of Bhopal, and the younger sister of actor Saif Ali Khan. She started her acting career with the romantic comedy film Dil Maange More, and is best known for her role in the drama film Rang De Basanti (2006) and the romance film Ahista Ahista (2006). In 2017, she authored a book The Perils of Being Moderately Famous that won the Crossword Book Award in 2018.

Early life and background Khan was born on 4 October 1978 in New Delhi, India, to the Pataudi family as the Nawab of Pataudis. She is the youngest daughter of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the 9th Nawab of Pataudi hailing from the Barech tribe of Pashtuns, and Sharmila Tagore, an actress of Bengali-Assamese descent hailing from the Tagore family. Both her father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and paternal grandfather Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi were former captains of the Indian cricket team, while her grandmother, Sajida Sultan Pataudi, was the Begum of Bhopal.

Khan's elder brother Saif Ali Khan is a Bollywood actor and her elder sister, Saba Ali Khan, is a jewellery designer and the mutawalli of Auqaf-e-Shahi. The titular Begum of Bhopal, Saleha Sultan, was her aunt, and through her, she is the first cousin of cricketer, Saad Bin Jung. The late major general of Pakistan, Sher Ali Khan Pataudi, is her great-granduncle, and the diplomat Shahryar Khan is her uncle, through her grandaunt Abida Sultan. She is the aunt of Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan and the sister-in-law of Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Khan attended The British School, in New Delhi, 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.

Career

Khan made her acting debut in 2004 with the Bengali film Iti Srikanta, playing a Vaishnavite. In the same year, she made her Hindi film debut with Dil Maange More!!! opposite Shahid Kapoor, which failed at the box office. She performed in another Bengali film Antar Mahal (2005) and then appeared in several box office failures.

The year 2006 proved a turning point in Khan's career. Her most notable role came in the political drama Rang De Basanti, where she played dual roles of a college student and Durgawati Devi. The film became one of the year's highest grossing release and earned her the IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress and a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. Calling her "efficient", Taran Adarsh found her performance to be a complete revelation. She then played a girl who runs away from home opposite Abhay Deol in the romance Ahista Ahista. Vinayak Chakravorty stated that she is "perfect" as the soft foil.

Following this, Khan appeared in several films such as Khoya Khoya Chand opposite Shiney Ahuja, 99 opposite Kunal Khemu, Tum Mile, opposite Emraan Hashmi and Mr Joe B. Carvalho opposite Arshad Warsi. Khan hosted the game show Godrej Khelo Jeeto Jiyo. In 2017, Khan acted in a short film, Soundproof, which was directed by Aditya Kelgaonkar. It was screened at various film festivals and won awards at the New York Indian Film Festival, Indian Film Festival of Houston, Ottawa Indian Film Festival Awards, where it won best short film award; International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, where it won award for best short fiction; and Belgaum International Short Film Festival. Her other box office successes include Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns opposite Jimmy Sheirgill, and Ghayal: Once Again opposite Sunny Deol.

Post a hiatus from acting, Khan expanded to web in 2022 with Kaun Banegi Shikharwati and Hush Hush. Archika Khurana of The Times of India found her to be "graceful and royal". Following a seven year hiatus from films, Khan returned with the 2025 horror film Chhorii 2, where she played a vampire cult head. Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter India found her character to be the film's only "productive entity".

Off-screen work

In addition to her acting career, Khan is a celebrity endorser for brands and products such as Club Mahindra, House of Pataudi, and Earthrag, among others. In 2022, she was appointed as the brand advocate for New Zealand education in India.

Khan authored her memoir named, The Perils of Being Moderately Famous, which was released in 2017. In 2018, Khan won the Crossword Book Award for her book.

Personal life

Khan was in a relationship with actor Kunal Khemu since 2009. Khan got engaged to Khemu in July 2014 in Paris and married him in Hindu wedding ceremony in Mumbai on 25 January 2015. She gave birth to their daughter, Inaaya Naumi Khemu on 29 September 2017. Following her marriage to Khemu, she became a practitioner of Hinduism.

All About Her podcast Soha Ali Khan launched a wellness‑focused podcast titled All About Her in August 2025, aiming to create an open and supportive space for conversations around women's health, ageing, and self‑kindness. The podcast addresses topics such as perimenopause, hormonal changes, insecurities, and broader wellness concerns that Khan believes are often under‑discussed.

In an episode about positive parenting, Kareena Kapoor Khan discussed her approach to motherhood and balancing loving yet vigilant parenting during her appearance on the podcast along with mental health practitioner Riri Trivedi.

In interviews, she noted that her personal experiences with ageing and consultations with various health experts informed the show’s direction, emphasising that the platform is intended to start meaningful discussions rather than provide prescriptive advice.

Filmography

Films + Year Title Role(s) Notes 2004 Iti Srikanta Kamallata Bengali film Dil Maange More Neha Chopra 2005 Pyaar Mein Twist Riya Arya Shaadi No. 1 Sonia Antarmahal Jasomati Bengali film 2006 Rang De Basanti Sonia / Durga Vohra Ahista Ahista Megha Joshi 2007 Khoya Khoya Chand Nikhat Chaurahen Ira English film 2008 Mumbai Meri Jaan Rupali Joshi Dil Kabaddi Mita Wadia 2009 Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge Neha Chattopadhayay 99 Pooja Tum Mile Sanjana Life Goes On Diya Banerjee English film 2010 Mumbai Cutting Segment: "The Ball" Tera Kya Hoga Johnny Preeti 2011 Soundtrack Gauri 2012 Midnight's Children Jamila English film 2013 Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns Ranjana Go Goa Gone Hardiks's ex-girlfriend Cameo appearance War Chhod Na Yaar Ruth Dutta 2014 Mr Joe B. Carvalho Shantipriya Fadnis Chaarfutiya Chhokare Neha Malini 2016 31st October Tejinder Kaur Ghayal: Once Again Rhea 2018 Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3 Ranjana Cameo appearance 2023Sound ProofShort film 2025 Chhorii 2 Daasi Maa TBA Filming

Web series + Year Title Role(s) Notes 2022 Kaun Banegi Shikharwati Rajkumari Gayatri ZEE5 Hush Hush Saiba Amazon Prime Video

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Film / Book Result 2006 Global Indian Film Awards Best Actress in A Supporting RoleRang De Basanti 2007 International Indian Film Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards Best Supporting Actress – Hindi Filmfare Awards Best Supporting Actress Stardust Awards Superstar of Tomorrow – Female 2009 Producers Guild Film Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role Khoya Khoya Chand 2018 Crossword Book Award Biography: Popular The Perils of Being Moderately Famous 2023 India UK Achievers Honours Outstanding Achiever (Arts, Entertainment & Culture)