Minding her language

Actress Soha Ali Khan may have inherited acting skills from her Bengali mother Sharmila Tagore, but she says she is “a disgrace” to her “maternal side” because she can’t speak Bengali.

Actress Soha Ali Khan may have inherited acting skills from her Bengali mother Sharmila Tagore, but she says she is "a disgrace" to her "maternal side" because she can’t speak Bengali.

“I don’t know Bengali... That way I am a disgrace to my maternal side, but I am working on it. I am learning it,” Soha said. Sharmila, however, came to her daughter’s rescue.

“She is good. The thing is she is very conscientious. She can’t speak spontaneously but she does her homework and picks up the lines and then speaks them fluently,” Sharmila said.

The mother-daughter actress’ duo were in the capital on the first day of the first ever Pravasi Film Festival for the official screening of their first outing together Life Moves On.

Asked if Soha’s siblings — Saif and Saba — can converse in their Bengali, Sharmila said, “They cannot because it is not the language spoken at home.” Soha, however, added, “I’m the best (at speaking Bengali amongst the three).”