Soni Razdan

“Whenever you go to Kashmir, you find people who are very gentle and soft-spoken.”

“People opposing dance bars claim that a lot of money is wasted in bars. I want to ask them why not target five star hotels, too, where a lot of money is spent?”

“I've never had it easy. There have been fortunate coincidences and instances, but nothing has fallen into my lap. Whatever I've achieved has always been through sheer hard work.”

“I enjoy watching news and lifestyle channels. Cooking shows are also my favourite. I also watch a lot of films on Netflix.”

“When television emerged, it opened up many avenues for actors like me, but after a point, it also became very limiting.”

“Later in life, I learnt that in order to deal with people, one has to be gentle and give them respect. That always works.”

“I have always been known as Mahesh Bhatt's wife, and I would tell people, 'Hello! I'm here!' This has always been a struggle. I would like to be known for who I am. I'm very happy to be known as his wife or Alia's mother. But I am also a person who, in her own right, has gone through quite a lot of odds.”

“As her mother, I am always there, but Alia knows what she wants both professionally and personally.”

“Presumably, with age, you mellow down.”

“I never stopped working when I got married and had kids. I did television and always tried to do what I could do.”

“I was a struggling actor all my life.”

“When someone is humiliating and harassing a woman, he must be knowing that the victim is needy and left with no option but to tolerate such harassment to save the job.”

“Everyone is different, and each has to create his or her own path, irrespective of who their parents are.”

“I would have never thought when I was a young actor that I would want to direct.”

“It was a miracle that I became an actress. I survived because of hard work and perseverance.”

“I am a very private person.”

“I am the mother, and the emotional chord with my children is naturally strong. So there are times when I might get sleepless nights because I am worried.”

“I probably marketed myself all wrong. I had exotic looks; I should have done those glamorous roles that exuded 'oomph.' But in my head, I was always an actress first.”

“The entertainment industry is always targeted at young people. Understandably so, as they are the key consumers. The young are the ones who are falling in love, starting out in life; older people aren't. Nobody thinks, 'Now I'm going to write a film about an older person.'”

“In this country, if a woman wants to work, she has very little choice. After you cross the age suitable for a heroine, there is nothing in the middle; the next thing you do is you become a mother.”