Sara Ali Khan always takes my breath away. Not merely because she is beautiful, though she is, with those classic, good-and-clean looks, but because of her vivacity. It is infectious. Of Bollywood’s many young actresses, I like Sara more than most.
She hasn’t yet had the blazing career I believe she is capable of. Since her debut in 2018, with the charismatic Sushant Singh Rajput in ‘Kedarnath’, she has made about a dozen films. I confess that I have seen only four. Sara will tick me off if she knows this. But that’s another thing I like about her. She is unpretentious. What you see is what you get.
While others see a gorgeous young actress who looks sensational in a bikini (and I don’t blame them!), what I see is the Princess of Pataudi. A young woman who can look almost imperious with minimal makeup, her long auburn hair combed back or tumbling loose, her heart-shaped face glowing with some inner joy. Always fetchingly dressed, she somehow manages to look majestic without ever looking as though she is trying too hard.
What I also like about Sara is that she is as sharply intelligent and worldly-wise as her father, my friend Saif Ali Khan. And just as witty. There is an urbane air about both of them that makes Saif and Sara such a delight to converse with. I suspect it is that Pataudi blood.
When I first met Sara, before ‘Kedarnath’ was released, she greeted me with reserve and a polite, respectful namaste. Disregarding etiquette, I gave her a warm hug. She was my friend’s daughter, after all. Today, she grabs my arm and holds on tightly. I don’t mind. She’s one hell of a stunning woman. Even the Pope, I suspect, would be happy to have his hand held by Sara.
But what I remember most from that first meeting was Sara forcefully telling me that she did not want to be another Bollywood Khan. “That’s just my surname,” she protested. “I want to make my mark for being the person I am. I hope to be acknowledged and appreciated for being more than just a Khan. But I need more opening Fridays to prove that.”
I also remember her indignation that the media kept getting her age wrong. She was already an Internet sensation and a paparazzo’s dream. Wikipedia was to blame. It had made her two years older than she was. Worse, it had got her mother Amrita Singh’s age terribly wrong, making her seven years older.
“It would mean the world to me if you clarified our ages,” Sara had pleaded then. I did. Wikipedia made the correction. And today Sara is 31. Eight years into a career that has had its share of ups and downs, I still believe the best patch of Sara Ali Khan’s acting career is waiting for her. Happy birthday, girl. Good luck. And God bless.
About Mark Manuel
The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel. Being interviewing almost every role model of this country and going stronger each day. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer, and columnist.
With over three decades of journalism in leading publications. This includes the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, and Afternoon. He is famous for his brilliant pen interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.
Further
His interviews have featured in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC, and Network 18. Almost every famous person has been interviewed by him in the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat.
Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police and its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward in a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work.
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