Salman Khan made me promise that I won’t overact: Alizeh Agnihotri

Cinema always inspired me and I wanted to take up something creative — maybe writing, production or direction. Acting is a personality-driven profession since it’s dependent on whether the audience likes you. I underwent training before I took the plunge. Even today, after Farrey’s release, I still wonder if I know what I am doing. I like to micromanage things. I am still struggling to accept that I can’t control everything. I am grateful for the schooling I received on the sets and for the fact that my first film is directed by Soumendra Padhi. He gave me the time required to work on the character.

You belong to a family of icons — screenwriter Salim Khan, your grandfather, and superstar Salman Khan, your maternal uncle. How aware are you of this legacy?

Obviously, I don’t look at them like others do since they are part of my extended family. But I am awed by the impact that my grandfather had on people. I see a Salim-Javed poster in almost all the film offices that I visit. You see Salman Khan’s face everywhere even when you go to small villages. It is impossible not to face the fact that they are extremely relevant in the film world.

Did your schoolmates know who you were?

I was shy talking about it. Though I never mentioned it, everyone already knew. Also, the fact remains that my uncles and grandfather are famous while my parents (Alvira Khan Agnihotri and Atul Agnihotri) are not known widely. During my university days (SOAS University of London), I never told anyone about my family since it didn’t matter.

Who did you first inform about your decision to be an actor?

Around 2016, I told my parents about my decision to attend acting workshops and undergo training. They asked me to first work on it and see the progress before taking a decision. After a couple of years, they felt more confident about me. That’s when I shared my decision with my extended family.

When did you start working on the character of Niyati in Farrey?

I met Soumendra Sir around 2020. We had the basic template of the story (Farrey is a remake of Thai film Bad Genius). We knew the big moments in the movie. Our workshop was being held by MK Raina. He trained me individually for six months and then workshopped with the cast. We started shooting in August 2022.

Earlier the launch vehicle of film kids used to be rom-coms.

I like to challenge myself. One question that I was asked several times while doing the film was ‘Hero kaun hai (who is the hero?)’. I used to say: its story is the hero. Hopefully, in the future, when a girl makes her debut, people won’t ask that question.

In your family, who gave you the best piece of advice about how to navigate the film world?

I got a little bit of advice from everyone. My grandfather told me that you take up acting only if you know what it takes to be an actor. He has enjoyed the peak of success as well as faced the low. So, my family has given me 50 years of experience of dealing with the industry without me having to live that. I have learnt about it by just listening to them.

Alizeh Agnihotri is Salman Khan’s niece.

Any tips from Salman Khan?

He is a cool guy. He doesn’t give too much advice. But did he ask me: ‘Promise me, you won’t overact.’

Were you aware that you would be referred to as ‘Salman Khan’s niece’?

That’s given. He has achieved so much in this business. I am just a speck compared to him. I will eventually make my place in the business. Until that happens, this kind of labelling is understandable.