BENGALURU: Whether it’s as Sunita Kapoor from Kapoor & Sons (2016), Usha Makhija from Lipstick Under My Burkha (2017) or the iconic Maya Sarabhai from Sarabhai vs Sarabhai (2004-06), we’re all aware of Ratna Pathak Shah’s acting prowess. Visiting the city to speak about Columbia Pacific Group and Embassy Group’s international living project for senior citizens ‘Serene Amara’, Pathak Shah engages in a candid conversation exclusively with CE.
Even though this was her first time being part of such an event, when she was approached for it, her curiosity peaked. “Well, I was interested in being a part of this initiative as I am reaching or have reached the age where I would be considered a senior citizen (laughs). As you age, especially for people like me and my friends, who have worked all our lives and maintained our independence, it is difficult to give that up and have the younger generation dictate our lives.
We also wouldn’t want to burden our children to make adjustments in their lives for us. While there continues to exist the stigma that children should look after their parents as they age and if they don’t they’re ‘abandoning’ them, I believe that notion is changing for the better,” says the 65-year-old actor, who has two upcoming releases.
One is the film Dhak Dhak, produced by Taapsee Pannu and stars Pathak Shah, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Dia Mirza and Sanjana Sanghi, tentatively scheduled to come out in April. The other being the Amazon Prime series Happy Family Conditions Apply, released on March 10, in which she reunited with filmmakers Jamnadas Majethia and Aatish Kapadia, with whom she had previously worked in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai.
Recently, the play Einstein, starring Naseeruddin Shah and written by playwright Gabriel Emanuel, returned to the stage in the city for fans of theatre. Pathak Shah co-directed the play. “Naseer is a director’s dream as he knows exactly what to do. But you would still need an outsider’s perspective and that is what I provided as the co-director. I have previously directed him for a play as well and he always makes the work easy. Since I have been an actor for a while now, it is easier for me to understand their needs when I direct. But honestly, I prefer acting and don’t take up too
many directing projects,” she shares.
Indian cinema is going through a bit of a revolution right now. The tendency to stick to one particular language is fading, leading to many films in vernacular languages, like Kantara (2022), reaching national fame. And Pathak Shah openly welcomes it. In fact, this year, her film Kutch Express (2023) was released in January, which was her debut film in Gujarati.
“Working on Kutch Express came relatively easy to me as it’s my mother tongue. In Dhak Dhak as well, my role is in Punjabi and that, incidentally, happens to be my father tongue. So, working on these two projects didn’t pose too much difficulty since I had grown up hearing the languages. But yes, learning Kannada, Tamil or Malayalam, would be harder. But I am good with languages and if offered a script, I would love to do a Kannada film,” says the veteran actor who has been part of the film industry since the ’80s.
For Pathak Shah, cinema in the country right now is getting increasingly progressive. “More educated folks are coming in and are opting to make more interesting and experimental work. OTT has given the scriptwriters their credit, which has been long overdue. Dhak Dhak, for instance, is directed by Tarun Dudeja, who is a debutant director and the film revolves around these four women who go for a biking expedition to Khardung La, Leh, the world’s highest motorable pass. And I got to ride a Royal Enfield Bullet, which was quite heavy,” concludes Pathak Shah, cracking up.
In her brief visit to Bengaluru, actor and filmmaker Ratna Pathak Shah converses exclusively with CE about her interest in working in different languages, directing Naseeruddin Shah and the evolving state of Indian cinema