Actor Soha Ali Khan has opened up about an early career setback in Bollywood. She revealed that she was first offered a debut role in Paheli (2005) but was eventually replaced after Shah Rukh Khan joined the project. The role later went to Rani Mukerji.
Soha, daughter of veteran actor Sharmila Tagore and Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, had begun her professional journey in banking. After completing her Master’s degree in London, she worked at Citibank.
But the steady paycheck could not match her interest in films. When filmmaker Amol Palekar approached her for Paheli, she left her job to prepare for acting.
In a recent interview, she recalled the moment she made that decision. At the time, she was paying a monthly rent of INR 17,000 and earning a comfortable salary in banking.
Still, she agreed to Palekar’s request to quit her job for the film. She believed the opportunity would be her big break in cinema.
However, things changed quickly once Shah Rukh Khan came on board, not only as lead actor but also as producer. With his entry, the casting shifted, and the part that Soha had been promised was reassigned. She later learned that Rani Mukerji had been chosen instead.
Soha admitted the decision left her worried about her finances. Without her banking job or the film, she was uncertain how to cover her expenses. Looking back, she described it as a harsh but important lesson about the uncertainty of the industry.
Despite this early disappointment, Soha went on to build a career with notable roles in films like Rang De Basanti and Tum Mile. The incident, however, continues to be remembered as the moment when Soha Ali Khan replaced by Rani Mukerji in a film with Shah Rukh Khan, which became a turning point in her life.
