Ratna Pathak Shah Shares Being Naseeruddin Shah’s Wife Affected Her Career, Says “They Thought I Wasn’t Interested In Working”
Remember Maya Sarabhai from Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and her savage comebacks? Actor Ratna Pathak Shah has really given us some characters we love and she has time and again proved her mettle in acting. But in spite of all that, the fact remains that it took her a long time to carve a space in the entertainment industry as an artist. And surprisingly that’s the case for many others like her. In a recent interview, the actress opened up about not getting work and opportunities when she was younger. She also talked about how being Naseeruddin Shah’s wife could have affected her work prospects.
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In a conversation with Hindustan Times, Ratna Pathak Shahs shared that filmmakers were not very ‘adventurous’ in terms of casting back in the day while adding that even back then there was a star system that applied to commercial cinema as well as art films. Speaking about what kept her from working back in the day, the actress shared that in art cinema there were some big names like Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patel and more and it was only after these big names did the filmmakers think of casting someone else. Sharing that it took a long time for other actors to be accepted and get parts that they deserved, the actress said that she was not even looked at probably because she was Naseeruddin Shah’s wife and it was assumed that she was just not interested in working. “Thankfully, that’s done with and dusted,” she added.
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Speaking about her early days in the entertainment industry, Ratna Pathak Shah revealed that she does not know why she did not get work back then while adding that there wasn’t anything about her that was not acceptable. “I don’t know why I didn’t get much work when I was younger. There was something about me that wasn’t acceptable. The only thing I can do about it is I can reflect on that time and think if I was worth being employed. Maybe I wasn’t,” the actress was quoted saying by Hindustan Times.
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Talking further Ratna Pathak Shah said that she ‘certainly’ knows that her acting skills have improved drastically in the last 20 years. She went on to add that that is probably why she is now getting the kind of roles across languages that she is playing now. The actress concluded by adding that she is enjoying every minute of what she’s doing now and that she is not complaining any longer.
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Also Read: Ratna Pathak Shah Believes Film Industry Is On Its Way To Bring Glory, Credits New Filmmakers For Delivering Braver Stories
Well, TBH we don’t think there was anything wrong with Ratna Pathak Shah’s acting skills. She was just as good 20 years ago but the entertainment industry just wasn’t open to her kind of talents. And with the OTT platforms giving space to actors from all walks of life, the entertainment industry has changed and become more tolerant, I would say.
