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Sonam whose real name was Bakhtawar, started more as a decorative piece. Uninhibited and willing to reveal , producers found perfect for the front benchers in movie halls. There even was a film scene in which everyone was dressed in formals but Sonam was clad in only a bikini.
The niece of Raza Murad, Sonam's grouse was that she was not getting meaningful roles and her first taste of such a film was Pahlaj Nihalani's 'Miiti Aur Sona'. Sonam did several more films ('Apman ki Aa' and 'Shera Shamshera'), even 'Vijay' with Yash Chopra but only 'Mitti aur Sona', a remake of Chetan Anand's 'Haste Zakham' gave her some satisfaction.
However, it was 'Tridev' that changed her luck. Directed by Rajiv Rai, the talented son of movie moghul Gulshan Rai, 'Tridev' (1989) was a superhit. 'Tirchhi topewale' was hummed, whistled and sung all over. With this film, Sonam came close to the director, tied the knot and retired from films. Some years ago, after an extortion attempt followed by a murder bid on Rajiv Rai in his office, the family decided to leave India and have settled in the UK.
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