Ratna Pathak Shah

Biography:

Ratna Pathak Shah is a renowned Indian actress and director with notable contributions to Hindi theatre, television, and films. Her distinguished career in theatre includes a variety of plays performed in both English and Hindi. She first gained significant attention in the 1980s with her role in the popular TV serial Idhar Udhar.

Pathak Shah achieved widespread acclaim for her portrayal of Maya Sarabhai, a snobbish socialite, in the beloved sitcom Sarabhai vs Sarabhai (2004–2006). Her film career includes notable roles in the coming-of-age romantic comedy Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na (2008), the action comedy Golmaal 3 (2010), the family drama Kapoor and Sons (2016), the black comedy Lipstick Under My Burkha (2017), and the road adventure drama Dhak Dhak (2023). These performances earned her multiple nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also received critical acclaim for her roles in the romantic comedies Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (2012) and Khoobsurat (2014). Her performance in Amazon Prime Video’s anthology film Unpaused (2020) garnered a nomination for the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actress in a Web Original Film.

Born on August 7, 1957, in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, Pathak Shah is the daughter of actress Dina Pathak and Baldev Pathak. She has a sister, Supriya Pathak, who is also an actress and married to actor Pankaj Kapur. An alumna of J. B. Vachha High School, Dadar, Mumbai, and the 1981 batch of the National School of Drama, Delhi, Ratna Pathak Shah married actor Naseeruddin Shah in 1982. They have two sons, Imaad and Vivaan Shah, while Naseeruddin also has a daughter, Heeba Shah, from his first marriage.