So what if she is Vinod Mehra's daughter?

She’s a star kid raised away from Bollywood. But Soniya Mehra, daughter of the late Vinod Mehra, was sure that in films lay her calling.

“I never had anything else in mind — the industry always lured me. I guess that’s how it is when passion runs in the blood,” she explains. Her father, a very popular actor in his time, also shared an excellent rapport with his colleagues and that was one plus for Soniya. “He was quite a charismatic personality and had a lot of friends in the industry. But I never wanted anyone to give me work because I’m Vinod Mehra’s daughter,” she states.

The young actor will soon be seen in a special role in this Friday’s release, the Imran Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. “I have had all my scenes with Imran and it was so much fun being around with him,” says Soniya, adding, “He’s young, confident and good in his job. There’s only a lot to admire in him.” She made her debut way back in 2007 in Victoria No 203, but the film didn’t do well at the box office. “The fate of the film wasn’t in my hand for sure, but I do agree that I’ve been pretty slow. My film Basra, by Navdeep Singh, was supposed to have taken off some time back but that got stalled too,” she says.

But Soniya doesn’t want to get demoralised. “Patience is the key word here and I have kept myself busy — honing my skills — undergoing training and workshops. There’s a lot of work around and my day isn’t too far off. Meanwhile, I’m watching a lot of films, wonderstruck at the variety that Bollywood has to offer,” she explains.
Quiz Soniya if her very urbane and chic look can probably be a deterrent to getting offered different roles and she disagrees. “We are talking of films here and anything is possible. We’ve had instances when the most unimaginable of actors have done roles we never thought we’d see them in. Once you’re in front of the camera, it’s the character that speaks,” she signs off.