Soni Razdan

Biography:

Soni Razdan was born on 25 October 1956 in the Small Heath area of Birmingham, England, to Gertrude Hoelzer, a British woman of German heritage, and Narendra Nath Razdan, an Indian of Kashmiri Pandit descent. She spent her childhood in Bombay, India.

Razdan began her acting career in English theatre with The Collector by John Fowles and transitioned into Hindi theatre with Bund Darvaze, Satyadev Dubey’s adaptation of Jean Paul Sartre’s No Exit. Franco Zeffirelli noticed her photographs and considered casting her as Mary in Jesus of Nazareth, but the role ultimately went to Olivia Hussey. Razdan instead played a grieving young mother and appeared as an extra in several scenes.

She made her Hindi film debut in 1981 with 36 Chowringhee Lane, starring Jennifer Kendal and directed by Aparna Sen, who was primarily known for her work in Bengali cinema. The film received critical acclaim and won the top prize at the first Manila International Film Festival. Scholar Wimal Dissanayake highlighted the film’s commentary on the struggles of women in a patriarchal society. 36 Chowringhee Lane became iconic, inspiring restaurant names in India.

Razdan went on to act in Ahista Ahista, a Hindi remake of the Kannada film Gejje Pooje. In 1983, she appeared in Mandi, directed by Shyam Benegal, a satirical take on politics and prostitution, adapted from Ghulam Abbas’s Urdu short story Aanandi.

Her breakthrough performance came with the 1984 film Saaransh, directed by Mahesh Bhatt, which depicted an elderly couple grappling with the loss of their son. The film was India’s official entry for the 1985 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, though it was not nominated. Razdan’s performance earned her nominations for the Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In 1985, she starred in Trikal and Khamosh, both critically and commercially successful. In 1986, she featured in the English-language Indian film On Wings of Fire. From 1990 to 1993, she appeared in several films, including Daddy, Sadak, Saathi, Sir, Gumrah, and Gunaah, mostly in supporting roles.

In 1998, Razdan played a lead role in the Hollywood film Such a Long Journey, based on Rohinton Mistry’s novel, which was showcased at the Toronto International Film Festival. She also appeared in Monsoon Wedding (2001), which premiered at Cannes, won the Golden Lion at Venice, received a Golden Globe nomination, and grossed over $30 million internationally. A Broadway musical adaptation premiered in 2014, and IndieWire later ranked the film among the best romances of the 21st century.

Between 2004 and 2013, Razdan acted in films such as Dobara, Page 3, Jaan-E-Mann, Dil Dosti Etc, Patiala House, Love Breakups Zindagi, and Shootout at Wadala.

She directed a film titled Love Affair, which was scheduled for release in 2016 but did not materialize. Razdan starred alongside her daughter Alia Bhatt for the first time in Raazi, portraying Alia’s mother. She also led the film Yours Truly as Mithi Kumar, a lonely government employee, receiving praise for her subtle and powerful performance.

In 2019, Razdan featured in Noblemen, No Fathers in Kashmir, and War.

Soni Razdan married filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt on 20 April 1986. Since Bhatt did not wish to divorce his first wife, the two converted to Islam and held a private nikaah ceremony, with Razdan adopting the Muslim name “Sakina.”

She is the mother of Shaheen Bhatt and actress Alia Bhatt, and stepmother to Pooja Bhatt and Rahul Bhatt. Razdan has lived in India since she was three months old and holds an Overseas Citizenship of India.