# Soni Razdan
**Soni Razdan** (सोनी राज़दान; born 1956) is a British-born Indian actress and film director who has worked in Hindi-language cinema since the early 1980s, known for roles in parallel cinema as well as mainstream films. Her full name is Soni Mahesh Bhatt. Her husband is the filmmaker [Mahesh Bhatt](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahesh-bhatt); with him she has two children, the writer Shaheen Bhatt and the actress [Alia Bhatt](https://www.edgepedia.org/alia-bhatt), and through the marriage she also became stepmother to [Pooja Bhatt](https://www.edgepedia.org/pooja-bhatt) and Rahul Bhatt.[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/generic/soni-razdan/research-centre/all) • [2](https://theprint.in/feature/soni-razdan-recalls-being-written-off-after-marriage-people-didnt-bother-about-me-at-all/3053571/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1956, Birmingham, England, UK; raised in Bombay (now Mumbai)[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/generic/soni-razdan/research-centre/all) • [3](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/had-been-young-today-would-have-got-lot-work-soni-razdan-5721681/lite/) |
| Film debut | Supporting role as Jennifer's niece in *36 Chowringhee Lane* (1981), Aparna Sen's directorial debut[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/had-been-young-today-would-have-got-lot-work-soni-razdan-5721681/lite/) |
| Breakthrough | *Saaransh* (1984), directed by Mahesh Bhatt; the film was India's official entry to the Academy Awards and brought her Bengal Film Journalists' Association and Filmfare nominations[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/generic/soni-razdan/research-centre/all) |
| Parallel-cinema work | Shyam Benegal's *Mandi* (1983) and *Trikaal*, Vidhu Vinod Chopra's *Khamosh*[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/generic/soni-razdan/research-centre/all) • [2](https://theprint.in/feature/soni-razdan-recalls-being-written-off-after-marriage-people-didnt-bother-about-me-at-all/3053571/) |
| Television | *Buniyaad* (1986–87) as Sulochana; later *Junoon* and *Saahil*[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/had-been-young-today-would-have-got-lot-work-soni-razdan-5721681/lite/) • [2](https://theprint.in/feature/soni-razdan-recalls-being-written-off-after-marriage-people-didnt-bother-about-me-at-all/3053571/) |
| Direction | Directorial debut *Nazar* (2005)[4](https://www.pascaleramonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Yours-Truly-Press-Kit_Oct-18.pdf) • [18](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/nazar-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0znjkwnzk) |
| Streaming era | *The Verdict: State vs Nanavati*, *Out of Love*, *This Way Up*, and *Call My Agent: Bollywood*[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/generic/soni-razdan/research-centre/all) |
## Early life and training
Razdan was born in Birmingham, England, and moved to Bombay at three months old, growing up in south Bombay and studying at Bombay International School.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/had-been-young-today-would-have-got-lot-work-soni-razdan-5721681/lite/) Her father, Narendra Nath Razdan, is an architect from a family of [Kashmiri Pandits](https://www.edgepedia.org/kashmiri-pandits); her mother, Gertrude Hoelzer, is a British citizen of German origin and a former nursery school teacher.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/had-been-young-today-would-have-got-lot-work-soni-razdan-5721681/lite/) Her family left Kashmir in the late 1800s, when many Kashmiri Pandits moved to Shimla and Delhi to work for the British government.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/had-been-young-today-would-have-got-lot-work-soni-razdan-5721681/lite/)
**Theatre beginnings.** She made her theater debut at around age 12 in a Pearl Padamsee pantomime and acted in Amal Allana's production of Brecht's *The Good Person of Szechwan*.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/had-been-young-today-would-have-got-lot-work-soni-razdan-5721681/lite/) At 17 she moved to London, lived with her German grandmother while completing her A levels, and won a place at the [Guildhall School of Music and Drama](https://www.edgepedia.org/guildhall-school-of-music-and-drama), funding her studies with weekend shifts as an auxiliary nurse.[5](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2014/Sep/03/do-and-the-universe-shall-give-655647.html) • [6](https://www.zoomtventertainment.com/bollywood/soni-razdan-early-acting-career-london-drama-school-franco-zeffirelli-article-156247581) Her early stage work included English theater with John Fowler's *The Collector* and Hindi theater with *Bund Darvaze*, Satyadev Dubey's adaptation of [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://www.edgepedia.org/jean-paul-sartre)'s *No Exit*.[7](https://cinegraph.org/people/soni-razdan)
## Film career, 1981 to 1998
[Jennifer Kendal](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-kendal) and [Shashi Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/shashi-kapoor) saw Razdan act in Dubey's *No Exit* at [Prithvi Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/prithvi-theatre) and recommended her for the role of Jennifer's niece in *36 Chowringhee Lane* (1981), a film whose top prize at the inaugural Manila International Film Festival preceded its later reading as a commentary on female loneliness.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/had-been-young-today-would-have-got-lot-work-soni-razdan-5721681/lite/) • [1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/generic/soni-razdan/research-centre/all) She followed it with supporting roles in Esmayeel Shroff's *Ahista Ahista* (1981) and Benegal's *Mandi* (1983), the latter based on Ghulam Abbas's Urdu short story *Aanandi*.[8](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/soni-razdan-says-she-paid-the-price-for-wanting-to-be-an-actor-not-a-star-nobody-wanted-to-launch-her-interview-101789726944858.html) • [1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/generic/soni-razdan/research-centre/all)
She had her breakthrough in Mahesh Bhatt's *Saaransh* (1984), portraying Sujata, a young lodger in a tale about an old couple mourning their son; as India's official Academy Awards entry, the film brought her nominations from the [Filmfare Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmfare-awards) and the Bengal Film Journalists' Association.[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/generic/soni-razdan/research-centre/all) • [9](https://indiancine.ma/documents/DSP/Encyclopedia%20of%20Indian%20Cinema.pdf) Through the mid-1980s she consolidated her standing with *Trikal* and *Khamosh*, and appeared in the English-language film *On Wings of Fire* (1986).[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/generic/soni-razdan/research-centre/all) Her 1990s credits include *Daddy*, *Sadak*, *Saathi*, *Sir*, *Gumrah*, and *Gunaah*.[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/generic/soni-razdan/research-centre/all) In 1998 she played the lead in the Canadian production *Such a Long Journey*, adapted from [Rohinton Mistry](https://www.edgepedia.org/rohinton-mistry)'s novel, screened at the [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival).[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/generic/soni-razdan/research-centre/all)
## Marriage, television, and typecasting
Razdan married Mahesh Bhatt in 1986, and in her telling the film offers stopped soon after. “I was already working when I got married. So that work continued, but then after that, nothing happened. Just zero,” she told Zoom; Bhatt told her that people in the industry had asked him why his wife needed to work now that she was married.[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/soni-razdan-lost-work-overnight-getting-married-mahesh-bhatt-everything-went-away-10894723/lite/) She said she was “sort of written off” and that it was her husband who offered her “bit” roles in his films, including *Daddy*, *Sadak*, *Sir*, and *Gumrah*, joking later that “my husband was giving me roles where I would just die.”[2](https://theprint.in/feature/soni-razdan-recalls-being-written-off-after-marriage-people-didnt-bother-about-me-at-all/3053571/) • [11](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/134042929.cms)
Television restored steady work. *Buniyaad* (1986–87), in which she played Sulochana, gave her her first taste of popular recognition, and shows such as *Junoon* and *Saahil* in the 1990s kept her shooting monthly.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/had-been-young-today-would-have-got-lot-work-soni-razdan-5721681/lite/) • [2](https://theprint.in/feature/soni-razdan-recalls-being-written-off-after-marriage-people-didnt-bother-about-me-at-all/3053571/) She has described herself throughout her career as “a struggling actor,” saying the dearth of work was the reason, and attributing her early difficulties to being hard to slot: she neither looked like the commercial heroines of the [Hema Malini](https://www.edgepedia.org/hema-malini) era nor like the conventional village girl of art-house films.[12](https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/i-ve-been-a-struggling-actor-all-my-life-soni-razdan-118051300254_1.html) • [13](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/raazi-soni-razdan-5167645/)
## Direction and later work
Razdan directed her first film, *Nazar* (2005).[4](https://www.pascaleramonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Yours-Truly-Press-Kit_Oct-18.pdf) • [18](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/nazar-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0znjkwnzk) In 2019 she played her first lead film role, in *Yours Truly*, Sanjoy Nag's Hindi adaptation of a [Mahasweta Devi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahasweta-devi) short story, which premiered at the 23rd Busan International Film Festival on October 13.[14](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/soni-razdan-for-the-first-time-in-my-career-i-am-playing-the-lead-role-in-a-film/articleshow/65732387.cms) • [4](https://www.pascaleramonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Yours-Truly-Press-Kit_Oct-18.pdf) Later film work includes [Mira Nair](https://www.edgepedia.org/mira-nair)'s *Monsoon Wedding*, *Raazi* (2018), in which she appeared with her daughter Alia Bhatt, and *No Fathers in Kashmir* (2019), where she played a Kashmiri grandmother.[2](https://theprint.in/feature/soni-razdan-recalls-being-written-off-after-marriage-people-didnt-bother-about-me-at-all/3053571/) • [3](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/had-been-young-today-would-have-got-lot-work-soni-razdan-5721681/lite/)
**Streaming and recent projects.** Razdan has moved into digital platforms with series including *The Verdict: State vs Nanavati*, *Out of Love*, *This Way Up*, and *Call My Agent: Bollywood*.[1](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/generic/soni-razdan/research-centre/all) In *Songs of Paradise* (2025), a film about Kashmiri singer Raj Begum, she played a pivotal supporting role.[15](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2025/epaper/august/ranchi-english-edition-2025-08-31.pdf) She plays Nalia in *Bait*, the Amazon Prime series created by Riz Ahmed,[16](https://hyphenonline.com/2026/03/20/interview-weekend-with-soni-razdan-actor-bait-riz-ahmed/) and her recent releases include *War 2* (2025), *Aabeer Gulaal* (2025), and *Om Ka Hari* (2026).[17](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/soni-razdan/filmography/)
## References
1. [Soni Razdan, Tuli Research Centre for India Studies](https://www.tuliresearchcentre.org/generic/soni-razdan/research-centre/all)
2. [Soni Razdan recalls being written off after marriage, PTI via ThePrint](https://theprint.in/feature/soni-razdan-recalls-being-written-off-after-marriage-people-didnt-bother-about-me-at-all/3053571/)
3. [Had I been young today, I would have got a lot of work: Soni Razdan, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/had-been-young-today-would-have-got-lot-work-soni-razdan-5721681/lite/)
4. [Yours Truly press kit (October 2018)](https://www.pascaleramonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Yours-Truly-Press-Kit_Oct-18.pdf)
5. [Do and the Universe Shall Give, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2014/Sep/03/do-and-the-universe-shall-give-655647.html)
6. [Soni Razdan Reflects on Her Early Acting Career, Zoom TV](https://www.zoomtventertainment.com/bollywood/soni-razdan-early-acting-career-london-drama-school-franco-zeffirelli-article-156247581)
7. [Soni Razdan, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/people/soni-razdan)
8. [Soni Razdan says she 'paid the price' for wanting to be an 'actor, not a star', Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/soni-razdan-says-she-paid-the-price-for-wanting-to-be-an-actor-not-a-star-nobody-wanted-to-launch-her-interview-101789726944858.html)
9. [Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema entry for Saaransh, indiancine.ma](https://indiancine.ma/documents/DSP/Encyclopedia%20of%20Indian%20Cinema.pdf)
10. [Soni Razdan lost work overnight after getting married to Mahesh Bhatt, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/soni-razdan-lost-work-overnight-getting-married-mahesh-bhatt-everything-went-away-10894723/lite/)
11. ['My husband was giving me roles where I would just die', The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/134042929.cms)
12. [I've been a struggling actor all my life: Soni Razdan, PTI via Business Standard](https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/i-ve-been-a-struggling-actor-all-my-life-soni-razdan-118051300254_1.html)
13. [Raazi actor Soni Razdan: I did not get the success that I thought I deserve, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/raazi-soni-razdan-5167645/)
14. [Soni Razdan: For the first time in my career, I am playing the lead role in a film, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/soni-razdan-for-the-first-time-in-my-career-i-am-playing-the-lead-role-in-a-film/articleshow/65732387.cms)
15. [Songs of Paradise review context, The Daily Pioneer (Ranchi edition)](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2025/epaper/august/ranchi-english-edition-2025-08-31.pdf)
16. [Weekend with Soni Razdan, Hyphen](https://hyphenonline.com/2026/03/20/interview-weekend-with-soni-razdan-actor-bait-riz-ahmed/)
17. [Soni Razdan filmography, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/soni-razdan/filmography/)
18. [BBFC, BBFC](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/nazar-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0znjkwnzk)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Hindi film actors, 1970s–1980s › Surnames M to W*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license