Soha, So Happy!

Her irrepressible energy and vivacity come from being completely at ease with herself. And from being in love.

They say people who are naturally fidgety burn more calories than those who pick a spot and rarely move. Soha Ali Khan transmits a breezy, vibrant energy that's hard not to take in.

 She talks fast, moves a lot and smiles frequently. No wonder, this self-confessed gym-hating Bollywood actor is so slim, with super-toned arms she has no idea how she got. 

"I think they're genetic. I haven't done a thing to deserve them," she laughs. The youngest daughter of the late cricketing legend Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and actor Sharmila Tagore, Soha is surprisingly friendly and down-to-earth. Cool, confident and candid, she confesses to being obsessed about eating frozen yoghurt, figs and chocolates everyday.

 "Even if I'm shooting in the middle of a desert, my spot boy has to go looking for a village home with a refrigerator to stock the yoghurt," she laughs.

Stay-slim secrets

Soha's quirky food fetishes mean that she has to make a conscious effort to maintain her naturally petite state. "I love running and dancing, and any cardio activity-other than the cardio machines at the gym-that get me sweating. 

I also enjoy sports but it's difficult to find people to play with in Mumbai," she says. Soha balances the hyper-energy within, with regular yoga. "I've been doing it for a year and it has grown on me," she says.

 She's yet to master the art of meditation though. "At the end of each yoga session, you're supposed to meditate for 15 minutes and I just can't get my mind to be still!"Given her small frame and youthful looks, it's hard to believe that Soha is even a day older than 25 (she's 33). Despite looking the way she does, ageing is something that concerns the actor, who feels her entry into Bollywood was needlessly delayed. "I advise anyone interested in acting to begin as early as they can.

 There are exceptions, but generally speaking, female actors do have a short window for success. I don't mean one should get into it straight out of school, maybe after college," she says. 

Soha had joined the corporate world after graduating with a master's from the London School of Economics, and gave it up in a few years to become an actor, like her mother and elder brother, Saif Ali Khan."