Not under pressure to be visible on big screen, says Soha Ali Khan

New Delhi: Soha Ali Khan has completed eight years in cinema with a filmography boasting of about 20 films so far, but the actress says she never feels pressurised to be visible.

The 34-year-old daughter of Sharmila Tagore made her Bollywood debut with `Dil Maange More` back in 2004 and went on to star in acclaimed films like `Rang De Basanti`, `Khoya Khoya Chand`, `Mumbai Meri Jaan` and `99`. "I understand that it has almost been eight years in the industry and that it is competitive and important to be visible and to work constantly. But I have never felt these pressures. I think it is important to do good work and last longer than to do lot of work and burn out quickly," Soha said. In 2011, the actress starred in just one film, `Soundtrack`, after which she was seen playing a pivotal role in Deepa Mehta`s `Midnight`s Children`. "It also depends on what is offered to you and what you like. The idea is to do good work. A film is a part of what I am doing. In 2012, I did a number of things - a comedy film, a dramatic film in terms of shooting and also a fashion based TV show `What Not To Wear`. There are a number of ways to keep yourself creatively engaged. Working in films is definitely the focus for me and I would like to do it," she said. Soha is currently busy shooting for `Joe B Carvalho`, a comedy film directed by debutante Sameer Tiwari. The film also stars Arshad Warsi. "We still have a couple of songs that we will shoot in the first week of April. I have a few days to shoot at the end of the month and then we will be done with the film. It is a comedy. I thought it was really funny when the director narrated the film," Soha said. The film will also see Javed Jaffrey, Paresh Rawal, Geeta Basra and Karishma Kotak in pivotal roles. "It is is about two assassins trying to kill each other, a detective played by Arshad and a cop Shantipriya Phadnis, played by me. It is a story of comedy of errors and mistaken identity. I have done romantic comedy, action comedy but never a proper comedy so I thought it will be nice to do." Soha took martial art lessons from action master Yagnesh Shetty for a few days before she began shooting for the film so that she would look convincing as a cop. But the actress says she did not require it much because the film is ultimately a comedy. "I am undercover most of the time in the film but there are lot of scenes in which I had to wear the police uniform. In the introduction scene, I had to do a little bit of action. "I have always wanted to do martial arts. I had five classes with Yagnesh Shetty, aka Cheetah. But when I went ahead to shoot, I did not require any of it and I realised I could have just been fine with a little bit of warming up," she said. When asked how was it working with a first time director, Soha said, "It was fun working with him. There was a lot to handle and he did it brilliantly with the help of a talented cast. We spent 40 days in Bangalore, we stuck to the schedule. He has a good temperament and is easy to work with." PTI