By
RUBY ZAIDI
Bollywood’s most respected couple Ratna Pathak Shah and Naseeruddin Shah have consistently been transparent about their relationship. They garnered attention recently at the Cannes Film Festival by appearing together on the red carpet. The event held significance as Naseeruddin’s film Manthan was featured in the Cannes Classics section.
Recently, in an interview, Ratna Pathak Shah, known for her outspoken political views, explained the reason behind her and Naseeruddin Shah’s collaboration with Paresh Rawal and Anupam Kher, despite differing ideologies.
Ratna Shah discussed how she and her husband Naseeruddin Shah manage to collaborate with Anupam Kher and Paresh Rawal despite differing ideologies. She mentioned that they come from a generation where individuals can maintain friendships despite “different ideologies.”
According to her, they believe in mutual respect for each other’s viewpoints. She emphasized the importance of an open dialogue and healthy discussion, noting that
disagreements do not necessarily strain interpersonal relationships. The actress observed that this approach has become more prevalent in recent times.
Ratna Pathak Shah elaborated by sharing her personal background, stating, ” I’ve been born in a home where my father was from an RSS family and my mom was from a Communist family. There was constant debate and arguments at our home, still we all lived together happily.” The actress emphasized that disagreement with someone’s opinion does not equate to disliking the person holding that opinion.
She highlighted that there’s a tendency to incite conflict among Indians, similar to playground squabbles among children. Drawing a parallel, Ratna Pathak Shah emphasized how bullies mistreat weaker individuals, suggesting that such behavior isn’t desirable. She firmly stated her refusal to adopt such conduct and her determination to prevent her children from doing so as well.
The actress expressed her intention to convey to those she can influence the importance of rejecting “bullying behavior”. Instead, she advocated for striving towards “cultured human beings” as she believes it reflects true cultural values.
Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah collaborated with Anupam Kher in Vijaya Mehta’s Pestonjee back in 1988. More recently, Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher shared the screen in Neeraj Pandey’s 2008 thriller A Wednesday! Paresh Rawal appeared in Naseeruddin Shah’s directorial debut Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota in 2006.
On the other hand, Ratna Pathak starred alongside Paresh Rawal in Abhishek Jain’s 2021 family comedy Hum Do Hamare Do. She also starred in the show Trial By Fire with Anupam Kher.