Ratna Pathak Shah is one of the finest actresses of her generation in Bollywood. A theater veteran and an alumni of the prestigious National School of Drama, she followed in the footsteps of her mother, Dina Pathak and ventured into acting by the 1980s. Ratna had started off her work by starring in daily soaps and shows, out of which her performance in Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai is hailed as iconic even today. Thereafter, she became a part of a number of pathbreaking films, that vouched her to the top of the ladder of success in Hindi cinema.
Ratna Pathak talks about her early days of career and her debut film, Mandi
Ratna Pathak made her debut in the film, Mandi by Shyam Benegal in 1983. Thereafter, she bagged an iconic role in Ketan Mehta’s film, Mirch Masala which gave her immense fame and recognition. In an interview with Zoom TV Entertainment, the talented actress talked about the initial years of her career, including her debut film and hilariously remarked how people would simply miss out on seeing her performance in the film, considering her role being so negligible. In her words:
“If you blinked for two and a half minutes while watching it, you would miss me. 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. I have been a bloody hanger-on for years.”