The veteran actor is known and respected today for her large body of work in both cinema and on streaming. Actor Soni Razdan is on a roll this year, having appeared in a film and three web series in 2026. Except when the payment arrived – 10 years later – it turned into a heartwarming story.
But there was a time when Soni was hustling as well. In the 80s, when the actor started her journey, she not only faced rejection but was also not even paid for her work.
But for the acclaim it won, Khamosh was not a commercial success when it released in theatres. It was only after it sold its TV rights in the 90s that the film became a cult success on early cable television. And true to his word, Vidhu Vinod Chopra delivered.
Soni says, “Some 10 years later, a cheque came to my house.
I said, ‘Why am I getting this cheque? So I called him up, and he said, ‘I promised you, Soni, I will pay you’. Getting emotional at the memory of the gesture, the actor adds, “That was a really incredible moment.”
In a conversation with Hindustan Times, Soni recalled how her remuneration for the 1986 film Khamosh was the most unusual. The film released in theatres on September 18. Created by Siddharth P Malhotra and directed by Rensil D’Silva, the series began streaming on Netflix on September 24.
“ Vidhu Vinod Chopra is an incredible person. When I worked in Khamosh, I don’t think he gave us any money. Khamosh was Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s second feature film. The young filmmaker himself produced and bankrolled the film. Apart from Soni Razdan, it also starred Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Amol Palekar, and Pankaj Kapoor. The film became notable for Amol, Soni, and Shabana portraying fictional versions of themselves. Soni recently appeared in two projects: the film Om Ka Hari and the Netflix show Shaque. Om Ka Hari, written and directed by Harish Vyas, is the story of the tussle between a father and a son, played by Raghubir Yadav and Anshuman Jha, respectively. Soni appears in the film, along with Ayesha Kapur. Less than a week later, Soni appeared in Shaque. The series stars Parineeti Chopra in her web series debut, alongside Jennifer Winget, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Soni, Sumeet Vyas, Harleen Sethi, Anup Soni, and Dhruv Chowdhury.
He told us, ‘When I sell the film or when I make the money back, everybody will get it across the board’,” Soni recalls.
