Ratna Pathak Shah wanted to do dramatic roles that Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil did: ‘I didn’t get the chance’

Actor Ratna Pathak Shah is known for her straight forward talk and honest attitude. The actor has been vocal about her views on Bollywood and politics. 

The actor is known for her ability to play a variety of different roles, being equally at least doing Lipstick Under My Burkha and Mubarakan. 

In a new interview she spoke about her journey so far and her career choices. While Ratna appeared in many films and TV shows like Mandi, Mirch Masala and Bharat Ek Khoj, her real breakout roles happened on television and that too via comedy. The show, Idhar Udhar, which aired from 1985 till 1988, was a hit. However, Ratna confessed she aspired to do ‘big dramatic roles’ that her contemporaries Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil did.

Speaking to a leading daily, Ratna said, “When I started my career in the early ’80s, I would have done the kind of roles written for women–even the big dramatic roles that people like Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil did–but I didn’t get the chance. I got ‘Idhar Udhar’, which I feel changed me and my attitude towards my life and work. I was very lucky that, in the long run, my so-called career panned out quite extraordinarily.” 

Also read: Raveena Tandon answers husband’s question about dressing ‘hawt’ at home, leaves Sussanne Khan in splits. Watch

She also mentioned how she did not get interesting work for a long time. “I just didn’t get any interesting work for years. People didn’t think I was worthy of being cast! But in a way, it turned out to be good for me because then I ended up doing television. That’s kind of the first paying job I really got. I did a TV show, titled ‘Idhar Udhar’, which aired in 1984-85, and was a sitcom that was quite progressive. I thought that I would be doing dramatic parts–that’s what one expects when they are young–and I got a comedy. I was completely unprepared but it was so exciting! We were all learning on the job. It was a wonderful introduction to comedy; it was still acting but in a completely different context.”