Soni enters ADHM[Linda-Rusty's mom]

Soni Razdan returns to roots

After directing Nazar, she is playing Rusty's English mother Linda in Sony's Aisa Des Hai Mera
Shaheen Parkar
shaheen@mid-day.com

After a brief hiatus, actor-director Soni Razdan has returned to the small screen. Director Mahesh Bhatt's better half features in the Sony daily Aisa Des Hai Mera as a British woman, Linda, playing mother to Rusty (Saumya Tandon).
Razdan began shooting for the daily on Tuesday. "This offer came out of the blue. It is not that I don't want to act now," says Razdan, who made her big screen debut as director with Nazar (starring Pakistani actress Meena and Ashmit Patel). "At the moment, I am working on two scripts — one has the media as a backdrop, and the other is a romantic comedy. Writing is not a day-night job, so I could fit in a bit of acting."
Staying afloat
Though she had done a cameo in the SaharaOne show, Koh-i-noor, Razdan had kept away from the small screen for the last few years. "Frankly, I don't know how I would fit into today's soap scenario. Maybe if I try hard, I will," she laughs. "I wasn't really on the lookout for acting assignments. Yes, it was an option. When it came my way, I asked myself, 'Why not?' Doing something more keeps you on your toes, keeps you in circulation and also gives you money," she says.
Though Razdan has been both a producer and actress (Aur Phir Ek Din for Star and Hamare Tumhare for Zee), she is best remembered for her role in Ramesh Sippy's Buniyaad. "There are certain things that endure forever," she says.
Wearing many hats
Adds Manish Goswami of Siddhant Cinevision, the producers of Aisa Des…, "When we sketched Linda's role, we could only visualise Soni Razdan essaying it. She is perfect to play an English woman. Soni plays the role of Kanwaljeet's first wife."
This television assignment, however, will not keep Razdan away from her big screen projects. "When you are producer, writer and director, there are several aspects to look into which takes considerable time. It takes months and years to roll. When you are only acting, you do your bit and move on," points out Razdan, who also features as Preity Zinta's mother in Shirish Kunder's directorial debut Jaan-e-mann.