If you think Abhishek Bachchan is the only one who has great expectations to compete against thanks to his lineage, think again.

Here's Soha Ali Khan, daughter of two of the best in their respective fields: actress Sharmila and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. She is also sister of Saif Ali Khan, a talent who is finally getting his due in the film industry.

Soha will make her Hindi film debut with Anant Mahadevan's Dil Maange More. But before that, she will be seen in Bengali film, Shrikanto, directed by Anjan Das.

rediff.com takes a look at what makes Soha tick.

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In spite of her filmi background, films were not Soha's first choice. She opted for a job at Citibank and worked for 15 months before rethinking her career options. "I wanted corporate experience before I joined films," she explains. "It was very important for me to work in an office environment because I wanted the knowledge and experience of working in a team. That would help me as a human being. But I have always wanted to do films. It was instinctive."

While it was instinctive for her, daddy Khan was not too keen about her change in profession. "Since he is unfamiliar with the film industry, it is obvious that he, being a father, would be concerned. There are parental concerns when one's daughter joins films. He wanted me to be aware of the non-glamorous side of films like media exposure, long hours, travel etc. But when he saw how strongly I felt about it, he supported me."

Soha arrived in Mumbai in May 2001 from Delhi. The youngest of the Khan siblings was first approached by Amol Palekar and Yash Chopra but things did not work out. "Do we have to talk about that? I share a good equation with Amolji. It didn't work because of date problems. I'm very keen to work with Amolji and Yashji."

Soha has rarely seen her mother on the sets. "By the time I was born, she had cut down on her work. We moved to Delhi when I was really small. So I was less exposed to filmdom, as compared to my siblings. But watching your mother getting ready for a shot, as a young girl, is very exciting. So I did dream [of working in films] when I was young."

Though choosing her favourite Sharmila-films is very tough, Soha loves Amar Prem, Mausam, Daag, Aradhana and the Bengali film, Devi.

"I love her films because she is so versatile. She has done all sorts of roles -- from a mother to a prostitute to a dancing girl to everything. She has also played all sorts of ages and all kinds of films, whether happy or sad. I would love to be as versatile as she is," Soha says.

The young actress says she consults Sharmila and Saif before deciding her films. "My mother has been in films for 50 years. She is very insightful. She has been invaluable to me in choosing films and other routine things. I take her and my brother's inputs when making these decisions because they have more experience than I do. They have a lot of experience reading scripts. I live very close to Saif's home, so I often go over. He knows all the right people. Beyond that, I use my own instinct because, ultimately, I have to play the character. If I'm not convinced by it, it's impossible to play it."

Soha will make her debut with Bengali film, Shrikanto. It is currently being shot in Kolkata. And Soha seeks a lot of advice from Sharmila, who also was one of the most popular Bengali actresses. "Since we speak Urdu at home, Shrikanto has improved my Bengali. My mother helps me with the dialogues and pronunciation. She even helped me with my look in the film because she has an eye for aesthetics."

Saif is a whole nine years older than Soha. "Because of the big age gap and the fact that we haven't really lived in the same house, I have a lot of respect for him. He's very loving and protective. We understand each other as we have the same temperament. We have a similar sense of humour, likes and dislikes. Of course, all siblings fight. We have our share of family squabbles. But he's a happy influence in my life. He will make you laugh and make you see the lighter side of the situation. His sense of humour off-screen is funnier than onscreen. But he can also be very serious and give good advice."

Soha has been on the sets of two of Saif's films: Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai and Nikhil Advani's Kal Ho Naa Ho. "It's exciting to see the sweat, the retakes and the hard work that goes into making films. The atmosphere is very friendly on the sets. Everyone is professional and gets along with everyone. It is exciting and insightful to see how a film is made because the final product is so different. As someone who has just entered the industry, it was important for me to see both sides: onscreen and off-screen."

DCH is also one of Soha's favourite films and she loved Saif's character in KHNH. "Saif's character in KHNH is very real. It is something you could relate to. And Saif was very natural. Of course, he does comedy well, but that aside, he is such a good actor. It is not difficult to do comedy because everyone complements you with comic timing. It is the mannerisms that make the character so real. The most impressive part about him is that he doesn't imitate anyone. It is his style, his instinct. I think people appreciate that in him and that's why he stands out."

The other film that Soha loves is Sriram Raghavan's Ek Hasina Thi.

"I really liked the script [of Dil Maange More]. The script and the people working in the film are my two main criteria. Dil Maange More is very light-hearted and funny. It's a feel-good film. It is something I would enjoy as an end product and even the process of making it."

Dil Maange More is a romantic comedy also starring Shahid Kapoor, Ayesha Takia and Raima Sen. The film is about a couple in a small town. Soha's character is very ambitious. She wants to stand on her own feet and goes to Mumbai to work. Shahid follows her to Mumbai, where he bumps into two other girls. Shahid is then in a fix as he has three women vying for his love.

Soha seems certain that she will not be lost among the three heroines. "All three of us have well etched out characters. If you perform well, it will be recognised by people. If you work with good people, your work improves as well. I always go for the character, whether it is a multi-starrer, an art film or a Bengali film. I am only interested in a character if it makes an impact on the film and I can contribute to and can learn from it."

Dil Maange More was earlier titled Mohabat Ki Kii Kiii. It was later changed to Yeh Dil Maange More but since that was too similar to Pepsi's tagline, the filmmakers zeroed in on Dil Maange More.

The shooting of Dil Maange More will start in March. It is scheduled for release at the end of this year.

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