Sonam Khan (born Bakhtavar Khan) is an Indian actress and former model known for her works in Bollywood and Telugu cinema.^[1][2][3] She is the granddaughter of veteran actor Murad.^[2][3] She was paired with actors such as Govinda (actor), Chunky Pandey, Rishi Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, Chiranjeevi, Jackie Shroff, Sanjay Dutt, Raj Babbar, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Naseeruddin Shah. Some of her notable films include Vijay, Tridev, Mitti Aur Sona, Lashkar, Kroadh, Kodama Simham, Ajooba and Vishwatma. She appeared in over 35 films during 1987 through to 1994.^[1][2]

Career

1987-88: Debut & Breakthrough

Sonam was named by her parents (Mushir Khan - father and Talat Khan- Mother) as "Bakhtavar". "Sonam" is her screen-name, which was suggested by Yash Chopra to be more marketable in the Indian film industry. Her first release was the Telugu language movie Samrat opposite Ramesh Babu in 1987. She made her debut in the Bollywood industry after being launched by Yash Chopra in the 1988 film Vijay opposite Rishi Kapoor.

Professional Expansion (1989 - 1994)

Sonam Khan made her debut in the late 80s with the 1987 Telugu film "Samrat." The actress shot to fame with the popular song "Oye Oye...Tirchi Topi Wale" from the film "Tridev." Khan gained widespread recognition and became a symbol of allure and charisma..

Sonam had ten releases in 1990 including the box office hit Kroadh and her only Bengali language movie Mandira. She was also seen in the Telugu language super hit Kodama Simham opposite Chiranjeevi.

Her first release in 1991 was the multi-starrer Ajooba with Amitabh Bachchan, Dimple Kapadia and Rishi Kapoor. This was one of the most expensive films of its time. She had seven other releases that year of which Fateh opposite Sanjay Dutt did well at the box office.

In 1992, she collaborated for the third and last time with Naseeruddin Shah in the big budget Vishwatma which did well theatrically. Post her marriage, she appeared selectively and featured in movies like Baaz (1992) opposite Govinda, Police Wala opposite Chunky Pandey (1993) and Insaaf Apne Lahoo Se (1994) opposite Sanjay Dutt.

Personal life

In 1991, Sonam married director Rajiv Rai, who had directed her in two very successful films, Tridev and Vishwatma. Rajiv was the son of successful film producer Gulshan Rai, founder of the banner Trimurti Films. After marriage, Sonam quit acting and devoted herself to her family. Sonam Khan soon gave birth to her son Gaurav. In a 2023 interview, the actress revealed having a baby at an early age before turning 20. She revealed that she spent most of her time traveling across the world for the treatment of her son, who was diagnosed with autism at an early age.

The couple initially moved to Los Angeles and then settled in Europe for nearly two decades. However, the marriage deteriorated between Khan and Rai due to personal reasons. In 2016, after 15 years of separation, Sonam Khan and Rajiv Rai divorced.

In November 2023, Sonam Khan made her first public appearance after three decades at the Jio World Plaza launch in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Khan resides in Mumbai with her son, Gaurav and is now gearing up to return to the silver screen.

Filmography