sonam was named by her parents (Mushir Khan - father and Talat Khan- Mother) as 'Bakhtavar'. 'Sonam' is her screen-name, which is reportedly coined by Yash Chopra to be more marketable in the Indian film industry. She first entered into the Bollywood industry after being launched by Yash Chopra in the 1988 film Vijay. She was just 14 years of age at the time.She shot to fame with the 1989 film Tridev. She was known for the song Oye Oye...Tirchi Topi Wale in the film which was very popular at the time. In 'Aakhri Ghulam' with 'Mithun Chakraborty. She was also recognized for her performance in Mitti Aur Sona. Earlier, she was known as a sex symbol. She married Rajiv Rai when she was just eighteen years old and declared that she was quitting films. She appeared in over 30 films from 1988 through to 1994.