Ratna Pathak Shah (born 18 March 1957
) is an Indian actress and director known for her work in
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...
theatre, television, and films. Her extensive work in theatre includes a series of plays in both English and Hindi. She rose to prominence when she appeared in the hit TV serial ''
Idhar Udhar
''Idhar Udhar'' is a Hindi sitcom which first aired on Doordarshan in 1985. It was directed by Anand Mahendroo and produced by Shobha Doctor. It starred real-life sisters Ratna Pathak and Supriya Pathak. Its first season was taken off the ai ...
'' in the 1980s.
She garnered widespread recognition and acclaim with her portrayal of
Maya Sarabhai, a snobbish socialite in the sitcom ''
Sarabhai vs Sarabhai'' (2004–2006). Her other prominent roles include in the coming-of-age film ''
Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na'' (2008), action comedy film ''
Golmaal 3'' (2010), family drama film ''
Kapoor & Sons'' (2016), and the black-comedy film ''
Lipstick Under My Burkha'' (2017), all of which earned her nominations for the
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress is given by '' Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the Filmfa ...
. She also appeared in the romantic comedy ''
Ek Mai Aur Ekk Tu'' (2012) and the comedy-drama ''
Khoobsurat'' (2014). She married actor
Naseeruddin Shah, with whom she has two sons.
Early life
Ratna Pathak Shah is a
Gujarati Hindu. She was born on 18 March 1957 in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
, India to Baldev Pathak and actress
Dina Pathak
Dina Pathak (née Gandhi; 4 March 1922 – 11 October 2002) was an Indian actress and director of Gujarati theatre and also a film actor. She was an activist and President of the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW).
A doyenne of Hindi ...
. She is the sister of actress
Supriya Pathak
Supriya Pathak (born 7 January 1961) is an Indian actress who works in Gujarati and Hindi films and television. She has received multiple awards including three Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actress. She is mostly popular for playing th ...
.
Pathak is an alumna of the J. B. Vachha High School, Dadar, Mumbai and the 1981 batch of the
National School of Drama, Delhi.
Career
As well as appearing in many successful films, including ''
Mirch Masala'', Ratna Pathak appeared as the wife in ''
The Perfect Murder''.
She also acted in the hit comedy sitcom ''
Sarabhai vs Sarabhai'' where she played high society elite, for which she received the ITA Award for Best Actress – Comedy in 2005.
In July 2008 she appeared in the coming-of-age romantic drama ''
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
''Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na'' ( ''Whether You Know Or Not'') is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language coming of age romantic comedy film written and directed by Abbas Tyrewala and produced by Mansoor Khan and Aamir Khan under Aamir Khan Productions, w ...
'' as the mother of the protagonist.
Naseeruddin Shah played her husband, as a deceased character who talks to her from a portrait. She has also acted in several Russian plays, as well as co-founding and being an active member of "Motley Theatre Group".
She appeared in the action comedy ''
Golmaal 3'' opposite
Mithun Chakraborty
Mithun Chakraborty (born Gouranga Chakraborty; 16 June 1950) is an Indian actor, producer and politician who predominantly worked in Hindi and Bengali language films. He is a former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament. He is the recipient of three ...
. She was a part of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan Selection Committee for 2012 Awards. Ratna Pathak Shah, who has appeared in many successful Hindi films, will come first time in a Gujarati movie �
Kutch Express Gujarati Movie��.
Personal life

Ratna Pathak married
Naseeruddin Shah in 1982. They have two sons
Imaad Shah
Imaaduddin Shah (also credited as Imaad Shah; born 20 September 1986) is an Indian actor and musician. He is the son of actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah.
Early life
Imaad was born to actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak on 20 ...
and
Vivaan Shah.
Naseeruddin Shah has a daughter, Heeba Shah, from his first marriage.
Filmography
Hindi
English
Gujrati
Television
Awards
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pathak Shah, Ratna
1957 births
Indian film actresses
Indian television actresses
Living people
Actresses in Hindi cinema
Actresses from Mumbai
Indian stage actresses
National School of Drama alumni
20th-century Indian actresses
21st-century Indian actresses
Actresses in Hindi television
Gujarati people
Film directors from Mumbai