Ratna Pathak Shah is one of the most interesting and talented actors in Bollywood. In a career spanning over four decades, Shah has been a part of several acclaimed films and shows. Recently, the Dhak Dhak actress spoke about her initial days in the industry and how she felt not having a good enough face like Smita Patil or Shabana Azmi. Let’s find out what she said.
Ratna Pathak Shah talks about her initial days
In a roundtable interview with Zoom TV, Ratna Pathak Shah stated that she was not good enough like Smita Patil or Shabana Azmi in the 1980s. She said, “I have to admit, I wasn’t very good. I didn’t even have a particularly unusual face like Smita (Patil) or Shabana (Azmi). They sort of changed the way you look at women on screen. Mine was neither here nor there. So, I am not surprised that they (the directors) didn’t imagine that I could do more than whatever I did.”
She also stated that she has a blink-and-you-miss type role in Mandi which launched her in Bollywood. “I was just hanging around there, frankly. Naseer and I had just gotten married, and he had to go off for a shoot. Shyam asked me to come along with him, and I did. So, I was just a total hanger-on”, she added.
Shah says she likes doing ensemble projects
In October, Shah gave an interview to PTI in which she stated that she is not someone who is looking to play a central part in any project. She said that she likes doing ensembles and the energy of it. She said, “I don’t like this ‘me, myself, and nobody else’ mood. I find those films boring to watch also. I love watching ‘Friends’, there’s no one star in it. I’m finding those one-star kinds of things boring nowadays.”
Workwise, she was recently seen alongside Dia Mirza, Sanjana Sanghi, and Fatima Sana Shaikh in Dhak Dhak. Despite positive reviews, the film underperformed at the box office.
