Mother's Day Special! Soha Ali Khan: There’s never a day off from being a mother

The daughter of legendary actress Sharmila Tagore and cricket icon Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Soha Ali Khan grew up in a household where discipline, culture and creativity coexisted seamlessly. Today, she is a hands-on mother to her eight-year-old daughter Inaaya Naumi Kemmu, whom she shares with actor Kunal Kemmu. This Mother’s Day, Soha reflects on parenting, inherited values, working-mom guilt, and the deepening appreciation she now has for her own mother.‘Motherhood is exhausting, joyful, chaotic and deeply profound’For Soha, motherhood is not defined by one dramatic revelation, but by the constant emotional responsibility that comes with raising a child. “Motherhood for me has been the most transformative experience of my entire life. It’s exhausting, it’s joyful, it’s chaotic, it’s repetitive, it’s deeply profound. When I look at my daughter growing up, there’s not one moment that does not make me feel – this is what Amma did for me. The fact is that there’s never a day off from being a mother emotionally. Your brain is on duty forever,” she reflects, adding, “Even today, my mother worries about us. She asks me, ‘Will Saif be okay? Will Saba and you be okay?’ I feel 30 years from now, I’m going to be the same.”‘Just because our surname was recognisable, didn’t mean rules would change for us at home while growing up’A large part of Soha’s parenting style today comes directly from the values she inherited from Sharmila Tagore. She speaks fondly about a childhood shaped by books, conversations and structure rather than screens and distractions. “The values from my mother that I try to pass on are kindness, curiosity and good manners. She taught us not to be bored, to be really comfortable in our own company. We were not allowed to use the word ‘bored’ at home especially because we grew up with books and that is what I am trying to do with Inaaya.”She elaborates, “I have taught her reading, how to have a good conversation, how to be polite and the importance of being on time which my mother was very particular about. Some of these things are a little old fashioned but also, they are very underrated qualities. Growing up, we had very boring and normal rules: we had to do our homework, read books and behave well. Just because our surname was recognisable didn’t mean any of these things could change. Fame was never treated as an achievement in itself at home.”Soha on protecting her daughter’s privacy in the age of AIIn recent years, Soha has also consciously chosen to give her daughter more privacy online, especially amid growing concerns around AI and digital safety. She says, “The terrifying things that people are now doing with AI definitely played a role, but also consent. I think as parents, we increasingly realise that childhood is precious and private, and social media creates a sort of permanent digital footprint before children are old enough to even understand that. We still share moments occasionally, but I’m really trying to give my child the space to choose for herself how visible she wants to be when she’s older. I don’t want to have taken that away from her before she even had that opportunity to decide for herself.”Life lessons from motherhoodThe actress shares, “I think one life lesson that motherhood has taught me is that perfection is overrated. What matters more is just being there, showing up and being present. Children don’t need flawless parents; they just need parents who are emotionally available. Motherhood has taught me patience, although that’s definitely still a work in progress. There are many times when I fall short of being an example of patience, but I’m doing my best.”