Cinema VinesSoni Razdan has spent more than four decades in Indian cinema, yet she says she was written off early in her career because she chose to pursue acting over stardom. Her first film role came at 25 when she appeared in Aparna Sen’s 36 Chowringhee Lane, followed by supporting parts in Esmayeel Shroff’s Ahista Ahista and Shyam Benegal’s Mandi. Razdan has explained that she deliberately opted for these projects, stating, “I’m not saying I didn’t want to be a star, but I wanted to be an actor first. Then, you want to have the stardom along with that. That just gives you better roles, better opportunities, more power.”
Despite her intentions, the industry’s expectations proved rigid. After working with Benegal, she was told she could no longer be a mainstream heroine, a verdict she found baffling. “At some point, what happens is that you do a couple of films and then you are told: ‘You didn’t go down the right road’,” she recalled. “I never got it. Why does there have to be one way to be a so‑called star?” Razdan continued, “I was doing theatre. I was going wherever I got work, and I wanted to do good work, so I worked with Shyam Benegal and others. So then, I couldn’t be launched.”
Her breakthrough came in 1984 with Mahesh Bhatt’s Saaransh, a film that also launched Anupam Kher and Rohini Hattangadi. The role earned her a Filmfare nomination and marked a turning point in her career. “I was lucky because that was kind of a launch, even though I had done a few films before that,” she said, adding that every actor’s journey is unique. Razdan remains firm that there should be no single path to stardom, even if it means paying a price.
Today, Razdan is starring in the new film Om Ka Hari, directed by Harish Vyas and featuring Anshuman Jha, Raghubir Yadav, and Ayesha Kapur. The movie opened in theatres this Friday and is currently running. She will also appear in the upcoming Netflix series Shaque, a web‑series debut for Parineeti Chopra that is set to launch on September 25. The veteran actress’s career, spanning theatre and film, continues to evolve as she takes on diverse roles across media.
