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There isn’t a time in her life when the young girl wasn’t somewhat already known by lineage and illustrious heritage – long before her first appearance on film.

Sara Ali Khan inherited a title by virtue of birth, as the eldest daughter of the Nabob of Pataudi, Saif Ali Khan. Castles, acres of land, historical treasures are all included, one can safely assume. Her father inherited the feudal title from his father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (perhaps better known as cricket legend Tiger Pataudi for a certain generation).

Meanwhile, her paternal grandmother, legendary actress Sharmila Tagore’s lineage traces back to Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who in 1913 became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Sara’s mother Amrita Singh was a beloved actress in the 1980s, the great-niece of the late novelist Khushwant Singh. Sara’s maternal grandmother was politico and socialite Rukhsana Sultana. Arts, politics culture, cricket, cinema, ... Sara Ali Khan’s gene pool swirls in so many rich directions preoccupying Indians, fame became her, long before she became a leading lady.

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In 2018, when she made her first film appearance in Bollywood at age 23, in the well-received Kedarnath (with co-star the late, great Sushant Singh Rajput), she picked up a handful of best debut awards. She went on to have a box-office smash within weeks in her follow-up film Simba (2018), released later that same month. With back-to-back box office successes and with a line-up of top tier films in production (though currently on hold), all bets are on the talented newcomer.

There are two things that stand out about the young actress already; her grace and decorum. Of the countless fashion blogs devoted to every sartorial selection of an Indian star, young Sara has topped several best-dressed lists for her impeccable choices in modern western and traditional Indian ensembles.

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The jury is still out on whether it's her own choices or the handiwork of her stylists, but more often than not, the young fashionista is on point from jhoomar (ornate bejewelled head accessory) studded head to her gilded anklets and manicured toes.

When it comes to interviews, she stands out for multiple reasons. Being proficient in English, Hindi and Urdu, the well-versed graduate (Khan studied history and political science at Columbia University in New York) has fielded many an interview with wit, dignity and intelligence.

Though she mostly lived with her mother after her parents split – an acrimonious exercise that played out in film rags – she remained relatively unscathed by what was purported in print. When assailed with questions regarding her parents divorce, her relationship with her stepmother (also Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor-Khan), the role of preternatural privilege that allowed her to ease into Bollywood, film critiques and performance criticisms, or deeply personal questions regarding men or movies, she has volleyed back responses with an ease and elegance that most new-gen actors don’t seem to have.

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To top it all, she’s also shown several streaks of her wicked sense of humour and humility as she’s pointed out that of all the famous people in her family, the most followed is her toddler stepbrother, three-year-old Taimur Ali Khan, who is the most photographed celebrity kid in the region, bar none.

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