The Perils of Being Moderately Famous

by Soha Ali Khan

What is it like to be known as Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi's daughter?Or to have a mother as famous as Sharmila Tagore?Or to be recognized as Saif Ali Khan's sister?Or as Kareena Kapoor's sister-in-law?And where do I stand among them?Actor Soha Ali Khan's debut book is at heart a brilliant collection of personal essays where she recounts with self-deprecating humour what it was like growing up in one of the most illustrious families of the country. With never before published photos from her family's archives, The Perils of Being Moderately Famous takes us through some of the most poignant moments of Soha's life-from growing up as a modern-day princess and her days at Balliol College to life as a celebrity in the times of social media culture and finding love in the most unlikely of places-all with refreshing candour and wit.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography, Indian Literature, India, Ebooks

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 17, 2017

About the author

Soha Ali Khan is an Indian film actor who has appeared in movies such as Rang De Basanti, Tum Mile, Khoya Khoya Chand and Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster Returns. She studied modern history at Balliol College, Oxford, and earned a masters’ degree in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is the youngest daughter of actor Sharmila Tagore and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the ninth nawab of Pataudi. Both her father and paternal grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, were former captains of the Indian cricket team. Her older brother is Saif Ali Khan and she’s married to actor Kunal Khemu.

Reviews

[Aakanksha Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

The perils of being moderately famous is a debut book of the author. Soha Ali Khan is a Bollywood actress. This book is an autobiography. It collects the moments she shared with her family and friends.

Soha's family is well known in India. She is a star kid. Her father Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi was a well-known cricketer. Her mother Sharmila Tagore is also a Bollywood star and a distant relative of Rabindranath Tagore. Her elder sister Saba is a jewelry designer. Her elder brother Saif Ali Kahn and sister-in-law Kareena Kapoor Khan are well known in Bollywood industry. Pataudi family belongs to royal bloodline.

This book is divided into different parts where the author tells about her family member. This book is a tribute to her family. The book starts with her father's story. How he achieves all the stardom and her relationship with him. Soha was with him when he took his last breath. She explains how she felt at that moment.

In the next chapter, she describes her mother Sharmila Tagore's Bollywood journey. Back in days, inter-caste marriages were uncommon. Sharmila Tagore married to a Muslim Prince which is a big deal. The author didn't talk much about her elder sister, Saba.

"We travel because we know we will come home and when we do, home is the same but we are changed and that changes everything."

She tells about her education and experienced at Oxford University. Back at home, she had a lot of people to do her work. But in the hostel, she had to do everything by herself. She tells about her trips and hitchhiking experiences which changes her perspective.

She worked at Citigroup Pvt. Bank in Mumbai as a Management Associates but faith wants something else. She started her Bollywood career in 2004 by Dil Maange More. She worked in many movies but she didn't get much stardom. She shared her experience that how people ask about Saif and Kareena's child wherever she goes.

She falls in love with Kunal Khemu and ties a knot with him in 2014. He is also a Bollywood actor. They first met at the film set. Their love story is the only part which I enjoy the most. I really like how she describes her pregnancy part. One can feel that excitement by reading that part.

The author's writing is flawless. But she put a story in a jumbled way. One can easily be confused. She talks so much about her father's achievement rather than her own. I know she didn't accomplish much. But I really want to read more about the author rather than her family. There is no gossip about Bollywood and no family drama which is good.

It's a fast-paced story. From growing up as a modern-day princess to her days at Balliol College, from a daughter to be a mother. She describes everything. The author tells her touching moments of her life. How it feels like growing up in one of the most known families of the country. In this book author's family photos are also published. It's a one time read. If you are a Bollywood fan and want to know about Khan's family then you must read it. It's a fun read.

Read more - https://bookscharming.blogspot.com/20...

[Manpreet Kaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's actually a 4.5. I wish goodreads understood what a difference that half star makes.
Anyway, this book... so, here's the thing. I usually don't believe those blurbs and marketing points that are used to sell the book. I read it somewhere..."She is a discovery... witty and etc etc" You can see how I didn't even read it fully for often, it's just lies.
But this one isn't. She truly has this voice that you want to listen to. She truly has what it takes to be a writer. I would read any book she writes... be it a memoir or fiction or whatever. Because, she knows how to tell a story.
In this book, Soha Ali Khan describes her life... her childhood, her relationship with her father, her respect for her mother, her travels and her love life. I loved how she doesn't narrate it in a chronological order. It felt refreshing for most of the memoirs I have read so far aren't done like this.
I technically read it in a day - in two sittings and I LOVED IT.

[Gorab · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★½☆

Picked this as a contemporary "diary of a princess" expecting something more than bollywood.
Also because of bollywood :) as I loved few of her films very much - Ahista Ahista, Mumbai Meri Jaan, Tum Mile and Rang De Basanti.

People around her are more prominent than herself in this book - as in real life like she says, and hence "moderately famous".
From her father's cricket extravaganza to her mother's literary roots (Didn't know she was from the "Tagore" family!)

Written in a clever and witty way, there are loads of images clipped in from her personal galore.
Loved the coming of age parts of her education and travel experiences.
Extremely loved the couple of YouTube references quoting the number of views while writing the book.
On the day she came to know of her pregnancy, there was a promo shoot she references - "if you come across that video, you'll know why I was grinning crazily ear to ear"

Felt the latter part of the book was abruptly cut off with the birth of her daughter.
Understandably, she couldn't get enough time to write further and had to publish it.

Overall a decent fast read which won't bore you at any place, would have loved more substance.

[fozia siddiqui · Rating 1 out of 5]

Frivolous and shallow

When you're done reading all the pretentious name-dropping and such there's no real core or trajectory of this book.Just random tide bits thrown together. Lesson learned - stay away from Bollywood actors turned wannabe authors. Perils of moderate fame. No option to review the single star otherwise that would be the true review.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those memoirs/biographies that is fun to read with lots of historical insights.
I love how the book has been represented in such a cool and calm manner (if I can say that!) despite the title of the book & the book cover👍
*Highlights: ⏩The straightforward writing style ⏩Funny, witty and charming
⏩Expect sarcasm, you will get none👍
⏩Presented as a celebration of the success of her mother, her brother as well as the many other successful relatives and family
⏩The pictures are endearing. However, most of the pictures/photos put are related to her college days, travel and nothing more. 👎The title is a bit misleading as the major part of the book talks about her family generations, her father and grandfather having made lots of achievements in sports & about her travelling days during her academic years.
The most funny part happens to be she & her travel group having stranded in the middle of nowhere in a desert👍
👉Have the title been more indicative towards her family and her younger days, it would have been more apt.
👎Nothing much has been mentioned/elaborated about her struggles/perks of being 'moderately' famous in comparison to her otherwise famous family members.
👍However, the media twisting her statements part is too good
👍Meeting Kunal Khemu, her husband who is an actor as well, is really the best part
Describing her life with him makes me want to find a guy who is a social media addict and me accepting it 😄
The ending is well written. However, it would have been better if she had put up some unknown events that happened in between the years she was away from showbiz instead of just skipping to the happy parts.
Well, life is good with happy parts eh?! 🔸Rating: 3/5🌟
Love the way the book has been presented in a smart way. But with memoirs/autobiography, a certain elaboration regarding different events in the life of the person at different stages is expected.
Otherwise, I would rather pick up a fiction.

[Shobhika · Rating 1 out of 5]

Barring a few anecdotes and one liners here & there, there was absolutely no point of this book’s existence. The narrative is empty and hollow at best. It almost seems that the author is trying to assert that she is after all famous. There is no continuity even within the chapters. For instance, a chapter about her husband talks more about her other relationships than her husband.. not to mention, there are repetitions throughout the book.

Minus all the media attention surrounding this book which makes it appear as a must read, I would definitely recommend giving it a miss. Instead, call up a friend and chat over a cup of coffee.

[Snigdha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light, fun, time-pass read, the kind you pick up only when you are dead bored and want to read something having semblance of a Page 3 content (Though Page 3 may have more fascinating feed to offer. :P).

Content: 2.5/5
Writing Style: 2/5
Humor: 2/5
Worth for money: 1/5 (INR 299, #regretfulbuy.)
Overall Rating: 2.5/5 (Goodreads should really have a provision to give .5 stars)

[Rosun Rajkumar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun and sweet but that's it!


Soha Ali Khan is not your run of the mill Bollywood actress's story. She is born into a family of super famous personalities. She, on the other hand, barely made it as a famous personality and this is exactly what she writes about in her memoir. It's really great that she has the sense of humour to laugh at her own failures. She is funny and even sweet. The problem is the book doesn't offer anything else . This book is about her and not Saif or her mother or Kareena. I get it. But we get a mere peek at the Pataudi household and it's done very superficially. Same with the college days, her career or even her relationship with Kunal. She writes each chapter like a blog entry. There's very little continuity. She is talking about a person in 97; jumps to an event in 2006. Jarring. I didn't get to learn much about Soha as a person a girl or even as a woman. Avoid.
My rating: 2/5

[Tapasya · Rating 3 out of 5]

As we all know, The Perils of Being Moderately Famous is a book about the almost known actress, Soha Ali Khan. She is the daughter of Sharmila Tagore and sister of Saif Ali Khan.

If you like Soha or want to read a short biography, why not read this! I'd totally recommend. It's just not some deep, moving stories I'd force anyone to read. If you know what I mean. It's just kind of a chicklit. She is quite honest.

Timepass Read. A change from reading all these fictions. I knew what to expect from this and I got exactly that.
That is not so heavy expectations.

[Saumya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Richa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm guilty of reading a book because it promised to be a quick read and I was lagging behind on my reading targets. And quick read it was: light, breezy, not requiring deep attention, and thus, good enough to read in a crowded train. About the book itself I don't have much to say. There are chapters on the author's father and his royal background, on her mother and her intellectual ancestors, and her own time at Oxford University, among others. It's short and well-written, and has occasional flashes of brilliance in the form of beautifully structured sentences. I enjoyed it, but it's not the kind of book that would have any lasting impact (and it's silly to expect that from a celebrity autobiography anyway). Soha Ali Khan has the humility to admit that actresses approaching middle age generally seek other creative endeavors and writing is one of the options, and so here she is, trying her hand at writing because she has the time, and because she is well-read (and because she will readily find a publisher owing to her fame, this last point being most important in my opinion because there are many of us who have the time to write autobiographies and who also happen to be well-read but publishers and readers don't care about our life stories). To conclude, I would say read this book if you have lots of free time, or if you don't like to be hooked to your phone while commuting.

[Vikas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like reading memoirs and biographies because they are easy to read and this again proved my point when I was struggling to read barely 10 pages a day I was able to finish this one in 4 days straight. It was an easy light read and if you feel like humblebrag then so be it, she is what she is. You know she is an actual princess, a member of a family where almost everyone is famous, and then she herself was a decent enough actress. Soha talks about her family members starting from her father, mother, brother-sister-in-law, friends, husband, baby, and everything in between.

I liked the writing style and the tone of the book it was a breeze to read through and thanks Soha for that. Keep on writing.

People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.

[Vivek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a conversation you'd have with an acquaintance over two cups of cutting chai, the book is light, fun and breezy - perfect airport read. A page of Times of India probably has more gossip than the entirety of this book and thats what this book tries to celebrate - the normalcy of life for someone surrounded by extremely well accomplished stars in their own rights.

[$amruddhi$hruti · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is what I would like to call a 3B -> Breezy Bollywood Book!
A light coffee table read though I wouldn't recommend it to people who don't know or aren't interested in Soha Ali Khan.
I was "moderately" interested in it so I read it for a light read.

[Sayantani Dasgupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, timepass.

[Ranjini · Rating 3 out of 5]

A humorous, breezy and light read about Soha Ali Khan, daughter of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore.

She describes her perils as being identified as the youngest daughter of famous parents, and sibling to Saif, in a humorous jest-like manner, which is endearing in a way.
The Nawab and Tagore clan and hierarchy are delved into with more-than adequate details.

She charts her course in life with ease.
She talks of her successes with humility and failures with no regrets. She has had quite an adventurous streak and wild side to her - which is revealed through her various trips and treks in college.
She is uninhibited in talking of failed relationships.
And is forthcoming about Kunal Khemu, her husband, who she acknowledges is anything but the man she wanted to marry.

There’s a lot more about her family and lesser about her - which is not appealing to anyone reading an autobiography.
However, she justifies her stance and is content with the way things have shaped up in her life.
My question is - why didn’t she talk of Saba more? Is it because she’s not as “famous”?

It cannot be easy to be in the film industry with such a successful mother, brother and sister-in-law.
Comparisons are bound to arise - yet she takes it in her stride and has learnt to live with who she is identified as and is still holding her own forte.

The last few chapters, touching upon her pregnancy was heart-warming.
She comes across as someone who is genuine and sorted.

3.5/5 for me

[Shraavya Malli · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is Soha's first book and I wish she had chosen a better subject. She has studied in some of the best colleges and seems to have majored in Literature. So, her command over the language comes as no surprise. She is funny at times and I believe she can easily follow in the footsteps of Twinkle Khanna. However, this book lacks content. It seems like random excerpts from the diary of a privileged celebrity.

I get it that Soha holds her family in high regard. But she cannot be writing half the book about them. I wanted to read more about Soha's journey, how she tried to create a unique identity for herself. But she keeps talking about her heritage and glosses over her own life. Even the parts where she talks about herself are dominated by her husband and soon to arrive baby.

Not every autobiography has to be inspirational but every book needs to have something you can take away from it. Soha seems very happy and contented to be the moon of her family, basking in their reflected glory. She does not seem passionate about anything. I don't blame her for enjoying her life. At the same time, I cannot help thinking this book is one of her privileges too. It got published only because she is rich and famous, that too not on her own merit. There are many deserving authors and publishing houses need to recognize such talents.

P.S. I enjoyed the candid photos though!

[Urvashi Pahwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had huge expectations from this book because I like Soha Ali Khan.

What I expected was a sneak peek into her life, some internal gossip that we are not aware of, knowing more of her as a person, how it feels when you are moderately famous ( as the title suggests)

But this book has no content whatsoever. I have read Twinkle Khanna’s book and Karan Johar’s too. Mrs funnybones is a light read and interesting. Karan Johar’s book has so much content about his life that I felt connected with it.

I had similar expectations from this book but there is nothing.
There are just 3 things that are predominant - Her father’s match scores, her travelougues and her pregnancy. And then the book ends abruptly.

I expected something on her love story with Kunal ( if its an autobiography) or her family life, relationship with Saif Kareena etc.
But there is nothing of the sort.


Now talking about the good things.
the book is well written. I liked her word usage and structuring. The jumbled chronology adds an element of interest. I will definitely pick up another book if she writes one. She can write fiction pretty well because of her writing style that I enjoyed.

[Sohini Sarkar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had some expectations from this one but the book turned out to be a very average affair. The title for one is misleading - the authoress talks a lot about her usual life events like how she got into the same college as her father and her grand father, how she went on trips with her college friends, what she did in her job as a banker etc. and all throughout the book, she keeps stressing the point that things like fame and all are transient in the greater scheme of things. So the book was everything about how satisfied she is with her life and nothing about anything that can be called as a peril of being a not so famous like her other family members. The first two chapters about her parents are good; the one on Saif and Kareena is the most random text I have ever seen in an autobiography. The chapters on her love life are a little too personal for reading. The pictures are good to look at.

[Soumya Prasad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book with no expectations. I know actors are not writers and after what 'An Unsuitable Boy' taught me, I know not to expect anything from actors/directors turned authors. While Soha does talk about the perils of being moderately famous, the book does drag on about unnecessary details. While the whole premise is about being born in a famous family, did we need so much of a background story?

I loved reading about her parents. I've immense respect for both of them and also her brother Saif. I believe that he's one of the most underrated actors we have today. Anyway, this book is all about her royal upbringing, then losing it all, her educational background and travels and how she fell in love and married an actor.

It is a breezy read, I finished it in a couple of sittings.

[Vinita Somaiya · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book comprises titbits from Soha Ali Khan's life. I'd expected more considering the fact that she is a princess, an actor married to an actor. But in keeping the narrative simple it turns out to be over simplistic and reads more like an extended interview about her life rather than her learnings or experiences. Her travel expeditions make for an interesting read but other than that it hardly talks about "her story" - about her equations with her Mom, Bhai and of course her love story. I'd expected more after reading Karan Johar's autobiography which was much more honest and interesting and hence was hugely disappointed.

[Pratibha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Autobiography Reads
Most of the Indians know about their families achievements. Here the author highlights all the important events in her families life and her relationship with each of them..
It's an average read overall.. The pace slows down when the she describes her journey to different countries. I actually thought this would be something related of not being so famous but rather her family's greater achievements and more achievements..
Though she's a good actor sad that not many people know her is that what she wants to say I guess.

[Vidya · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I read a autobiography I would expect more details about the person who is writing it. While there are dedicated chapters to the people who are a part of her life, what I found disappointing is the lack of depth. This book feels very breezy and while that is fine in a book, in an autobiography I need more.

I would have loved to read more about the relationship she shared with her father - more anecdotes maybe.

[Niki · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is about her history. I know she mentions it but it is literally so. It is absolutely uninteresting and trying to hard. I gave up halfway. She is educated but should try writing an actual book rather than a history book which can be googled. I’ve never written such a harsh review. But I really hated this one.

[Monica Shastri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars to be accurate.
A light read about how it really is to be a not so famous person in a family of royals and famous people. I enjoyed reading about her Dad and mother.

I loved her essays on her travels with Tom.

And her thoughts on love, one of the sentences which were an extract from her friend's book

" Aim for Love, Always aim for Love. Let the rest be noise"

[Sachin Prabhu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always liked Soha as an actress but didn't knew much about her life. The book gives the readers a better picture of what her family is and how much they mean to her. Parts of book I felt it was more like just diary entry but some portion of book were too hard to miss. Its funny, sad at times and also so honest and most importantly filled with love

[Ruchi · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bollywood actress married to an actor , sister of the famous bollywood actor and belonging to the royal family - could have a lot of behind the scenes action but well no surprises in the book !! Kinda boring .. only good part of the ease of writing which, unlike twinkle khanna’s pyjama are forgiving and any other book that makes it so arduous , i read it a couple of hours .

[Roopa Prabhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the book in two sittings. It perfectly comes under the genre of "Books you have as a snack in between heavy meals"

Light, breezy, non gossipy with humourous undertone. Even though there is nothing spectacular being narrated but the simplicity itself endears to you to keep on reading.

[Vinita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Breezy read ... good for a first time writer...

[Shilpa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out what I thought of this candid memoir!

https://livinginfictionsite.wordpress...