On Ratna Pathak Shah's Birthday, Here A Look At Her Best Films

The actor Ratna Pathak Shah will be celebrating her 65th birthday on March 18, 2022. Here's a look at her highly esteemed film career and her feminism.

Ratna Pathak Shah is the name of a woman who is solid, opinionated, and gutsy. She has been in the industry for about 38 years and is still making a name for herself. Her portrayal of Maya Sarabhai in the sitcom Sarabhai vs Sarabhai earned her widespread recognition and acclaim. She has amused us with a variety of roles in films, television shows, and stage plays. The veteran actor is also a director and, more importantly, a feminist.

Ratna Pathak Shah belongs to Gujarat. She was born in Mumbai, India on March 18, 1957, to actor Baldev Pathak and actor Dina Pathak. She is Supriya Pathak's younger sister. Pathak graduated from J. B. Vachha High School in Dadar, Mumbai, and the National School of Drama in Delhi in 1981.

In 1982, Ratna Pathak married Naseeruddin Shah. Imaad Shah and Vivaan Shah are their two sons.

Ratna Pathak Shah Birthday

Ratna Pathak Shah's career has given us many memorable feminist characters, and she has served as a role model for women everywhere. From playing a calm, strong, sensible mother in Jaane Tu ya Jaane Naa to a 55-year-old widow, who discovers herself and her sexuality in Lipstick Under My Burkha.

Some of her powerful characters include Savitri Rathore (Jaane Tu ya Jaane Naa), Maya Sarabhai (Sarabhai vs Sarabhai), Rani Nirmala Devi Rathore (Khoobsurat), Sunita Kapoor (Kapoor & Sons), Dr. Deewan (Nil Battey Sannata), Usha (Lipstick Under My Burkha) and Sandhya Sandhu (Thappad).

In recent years, Bollywood has become more open about female sexuality and has produced a diverse range of progressive films centred. In an interview, she discussed her film Lipstick Under My Burkha, saying, "The judgement of people closest to you matters. I can live with whatever anyone else says but my family thinks this about me, how do I cope? What do I do with myself? So these are the kind of issues that the film raises. It gives you a chance to live these lives through the women. And that is what good literature, a good film can do.

Suggested Reading: Dina Pathak’s Daughter Ratna Pathak Shah On What Makes Her Mom A Brilliant Actor

"It shows you a world that I don't know. I mean, I've never been in a situation like Usha's. In fact, I'm on the other end of the spectrum. At 60, I'm doing whatever I want and nobody is stopping me. On the contrary, everyone is encouraging me to go for it. So for me to understand how to live a life like Usha's, it has been a great education," Shah said.

"Women are often branded as enemies to their gender.," she added. Basically, because of patriarchy, women are forced to confront sexism perpetrated by their own kind," which is absolutely true, and she is courageous enough to make such statements.

In an ">interview with SheThePeople, the actor said, "Women are, of course, the gatekeepers of this institution, and definitely, the ones who socialise their children into accepting the norms of patriarchy that otherwise are just so downright…impossible to accept.”