Ratna Pathak Shah and Supriya Pathak, two seasoned actors, recently discussed their opinions on acting and said that one’s appearance shouldn’t limit one’s ability to play. They said that they still act, despite their advanced age. Ratna said that no one can feel sorry for her because she has never had more success at this point in her career.
In a candid talk with Twinkle Khanna, Ratna averred, “Soon after I came out of the NSD, I realised that acting is not something that you do while you’re young and pretty. For some reason, that was stuck in my head, that as a woman, you act until you’re young and pretty. But then I looked around me and I saw so many female actors who were working well into their old age. I saw actresses all over the world doing absolutely stunning work at all kinds of ages.”
Ratna stated that she intended to perform for the rest of her life and not give any thought to how she seemed. She continued by criticising the industry’s beauty norms, “Women can get really bogged down in this business of looking pretty. I see young girls around me on a set and I really worry for them sometimes because it’s such a narrowing vision. It makes you look at yourself in such a narrow way.”
Meanwhile, Supriya said that she was sceptical and scared about a thing the actor mentioned, “The only thing that scares or worries you, how is it going to affect you physically. If you’re ever going to get down to that state, then I’m a little worried about that. Otherwise, growing old is great.”
Ratna further added, “It’s also true that today, a woman my age, one, gets work, and two, gets respect. Nobody looks down on me and says, ‘Arre, bechari buddhi.‘” When asked ‘what would you tell anybody who calls you buddhi or aunty,’ Ratna said “Beta, tum bhi aa jaoge. Thoda sa rukh jao. Tum bhi aa jaoge issi line pe. Or you can always do the ‘beta’ number and talk down to them.”
