Did Rasha Thadani know early on that she wanted to be an actor? Absolutely. As someone in love with dance and music, Bollywood was a natural calling for the debutant whose maiden movie, Azaad, hits the screens tomorrow. But her actor-mother Raveena Tandon and distributor-father Anil Thadani made one thing clear to the star kid—education before movies. “Growing up, performing arts was my love. After school, I’d go for dance lessons and return home by 9 pm,” she recalls. “Once I came home with B grade in a test, and dad was like, ‘See, this is what happens [when you focus on other things].’ My parents were keen that I complete my studies.”

If she grew up in a home where the emphasis was on studies, not on being groomed for the spotlight, Rasha has her star-mother to thank for it. “My mom always kept us away from her stardom. We saw her movies after we turned 13. She wanted us to live like anyone else,” she says.