Soha Ali Khan in Calcutta on Monday. Picture by Aranya Sen

You’ve just bought a house in Mumbai…

Yes, my mother is seeing to the furnishings and I’m working on making my home digital.

How tech-savvy are you?

I’m very lazy. And technology makes everything so easy. It’s artificial intelligence! I’m fairly tech-savvy. I watch films, listen to music; even when it comes to something like controlling the AC, I like everything to be at the touch of a button. Even in my house, lights are on a dimmer. Just like clothing depends on how it fits you, technology is a touch-and-feel sensation.

Your connection with Calcutta goes back a long way…

And it starts not just with my immediate family. Not only is my mother from here, even my grandparents lived here all their life. I think Calcutta encapsulates the spirit of India… the city is the heart of India, right from the freedom movement to the food here.

Does Bengali cinema interest you?

I’ve already done two Bengali films, Iti Srikanta and Antarmahal. I would love to do a Bengali film every year.

But you aren’t all that fluent in Bengali…

Aami bujhte pari… (laughs) but yes, I would like to learn Bengali. We come from a secular family… For my mother’s side of the family, Durga Puja is a big thing.

A lot of recent films have some Bengali element, like even in Bhool Bhulaiyaa, the ghost Manjulika was Bengali…

Like I said, Bengal is the heart of India. It’s full of creativity, passion, art and philosophy and that’s a lot of inspiration for filmmakers.

Tell us something about your role as Nakhat in Khoya Khoya Chand...

It’s a wonderful romantic film with an inside peek into what it was like in the 1950s. Khoya Khoya Chand is what I’m most excited about, which is why I can’t stop talking about it. Nikhat is the role of a lifetime; it’s very challenging to play the role of an actress in the 1950s. They had to do tragedy and comedy, and look beautiful at the same time.

Describe the chemistry you share with Shiney in Khoya Khoya Chand...

Off-screen I don’t know him at all. On-screen it was a unique space we shared. He looks good and dressed very well for this role. He’s got this machismo and screen presence and he plays an Urdu writer. Shiney and (director) Sudhir Mishra get along really well. Shiney is unique.

What about marriage plans?

I do want to get married at some stage. Everything falls into place with time.

How are you planning to celebrate Diwali?

With my family and if my brother is around. Light some diyas… looking at the kind of lives we have now, we need an occasion to come together.

Would you like to do a film with your mother?

My mother and I have already done an ad together, Nature Fresh. In terms of films, if there’s anything we both find interesting then yes.

Do you think Rang De Basanti was an important film in terms of giving viewers a social message?

RDB was an important film because its message was to tell the youth to take responsibility, presented in an entertaining form.