30th March 2023, Mumbai: Sonam, the niece of actor Raza Murad, entered the film industry as a teenager and gained recognition for her performances in Tridev, Vijay, and Vishwatma. After tying the knot with filmmaker Rajiv Rai in 1991 and having a son named Gaurav, the couple moved overseas in 1997. After several decades, she returned to India and shared that she intends to resume her acting career, which she had abandoned in the early 90s. Furthermore, the 50-year-old former actress revealed that Indian society imposes stringent expectations on women in terms of their behaviour and appearance.
After years of separation, Sonam divorced Rajiv in 2016 and has since remarried to an orthopaedic surgeon. Reflecting on her acting career, she acknowledged that while it was a difficult period with few quality scripts, she had the opportunity to work alongside some of the finest actors. Sonam also admitted that quitting her acting career at a young age was not a wise decision.
Sonam expressed remorse for abandoning her acting career at a young age. She recollected, “However, when I got married, I was still very young and assumed the role of a submissive wife who obeyed everything. But eventually, I recognized that I had fallen into a monotonous routine and needed to establish my own identity. In those days, an actress’s career ended once she got married. Before I turned 21, I became a mother, and time flew by in a flash.
Sonam noted that women in our culture have historically faced stringent expectations regarding their appearance and behaviour. These expectations dictate how they should dress and look, and after marriage, they are expected to prioritise their husband and children above everything else. She expressed a desire for people not to judge women based on their choices and emphasised the importance of respecting one’s body regardless of one’s body size. Sonam’s son Gaurav has had a significant impact on her life by teaching her patience, kindness, and resilience.
Sonam’s last film appearance was in 1994’s Insaniyat. Prior to returning to Mumbai, she resided in Puducherry for almost three years. Since returning to Mumbai in 2015, she has been living with her son.