EXCLUSIVE: “As soon as my father would enter the premises of our society, all the kids in the building would start howling ‘woohoo’, in Tarzan style! Hence, my mother would know that he has arrived” – Sonia Birje

By Fenil Seta -

June 10, 2022 - 3:00 PM IST

Bollywood has given several memorable films and one film that stands out is Adventures Of Tarzan (1985). It starred Hemant Birje in the main lead and Kimi Katkar as Tarzan’s love interest. The film had generated a lot of curiosity thanks to its subject, music and the steamy scenes, leading to healthy box office numbers.

Bollywood Hungama recently spoke to Sonia Birje exclusively, who will be seen in Deepak Tijori’s directorial venture, Tipppsy. The actress spoke about her stint as a DJ, growing up with Hemant Birje, and a lot more.

Did you plan to become an actor and then decided to do DJ-ing or was it vice versa?
I always wanted to be an actor, but it’s not been easy to crack it. As for music, I happened to learn DJ-ing in 2019 and within a couple of months, I was ready to play. Sadly, the world went into a lockdown. I went live every week and it helped me to polish my skills. It’s a great experience to work as a DJ as it’s an outlet for my creativity. As DJ Sonia, I play Bollywood and English commercial dance songs. As Jungle Baby, I play afro house, techno and all that stuff. Moreover, I have done a live set from the Taj Mahal.

How was the term ‘Jungle Baby’ coined? Why do you call yourself that?
(smiles) My father played the role of Tarzan. So, I grew up with the belief that my father is the king of the jungle. Hence the term ‘Jungle Baby’ felt very true to who I am.

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A post shared by Sonia Birje / Jungle Baby (@soniabirje)

Speaking about your father, firstly, please let us know how he’s doing now (he had met with a road accident in January 2022) …
By God’s grace, he and everyone else who were present in the car are fine.

How was it to grow up as Hemant Birje’s daughter?
It’s been normal overall. It was like any father-daughter relationship. However, I remember in our childhood, as soon as my father would enter the premises of our society, all the kids in the building would start howling ‘woohoo’, in Tarzan style! Hence, my mother would know that he has arrived in the society and would enter our house any moment (laughs). Whenever I meet anybody from the industry, from the spot boy to the producers, they all have a lot of respect for him. He was and is admired for his physique. So, it’s a good feeling.

How many times have you seen your father’s cult film, Adventures Of Tarzan?
I have lost count as I have seen it since forever. Personally, I love the cinematography of the film and the music was just ‘wow’! Singer Alisha Chinai had debuted with that film. The star cast was on point, be it my father and Kimi Katkar. The whole concept was brilliant. It was a masterpiece!

In 2008, a film named Return Of Tarzan was announced. An announcement event was also held I believe…
Yeah, and things didn’t shape up the way it was expected. Hence, it didn’t go on floors.

If a remake of Adventures Of Tarzan is made in today’s times, who do you think should be cast in the role of Tarzan? And would you like to play Tarzan’s love interest, Ruby?
I can’t imagine in Bollywood at least playing Tarzan. My father has a height and structure which is unparalleled. But from Hollywood, I feel Chris Hemsworth would look amazing. As for Ruby, yes, I’d love to play that part (smiles).

As per IMDb, you were a part of Yash Raj Films’ Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011)…
It just happened that I was on the set during the shoot of one of the songs. That’s how my name got included in the cast of that movie.

Have you been a part of any other film?
I have worked in a film named He-Man, in 2015. It was directed by Puneet Issar. My producer was Abis Rizvi, who also made Roar: Tigers Of The Sundarbans (2014). I was the lead of the film, and the film was completed. However, Abiz Rizvi was killed in a terrorist attack in Instanbul, Turkey on January 1, 2017. It was devastating. He was such a good and brilliant human being. It was the first time I saw terrorism affecting a person I know so well.