Ratna Pathak Shah and Nasiruddin Shah encountered each other at the National School of Drama (National Bureau of Standards). They fell in love and got married in 1982 after seven years of dating. His second marriage occurred after he broke up with his first wife, Manara Sikri, who bore him a child. Meanwhile, Ratner recently discussed their interfaith marriage during an interview.
“My father wasn’t happy about it but unfortunately he died before we got married”, Ratner told Hauterfly. “Even though Maa and Nasir had a rocky relationship, they finally settled down as friends” .
She added that Nasir’s family members were very quiet about it all. “It was amazing how none of them from Nasir’s family made any fuss at all; no one mentioned the ‘C’ word which is conversion or anything else concerning me. They simply accepted me as I am. I feel very lucky because I’ve heard about people who have had difficulty settling down like my mother-in-law is a homely person but she is also open-minded to every situation.
However, she is most famous for her iconic role as Maya Sarabhai in Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai. This apart she has also appeared in some cult films where her characters continue to be part of the viewers’ minds even today. Even now she does films such as “Lipstick Under Burkha” and the recent “Dhak Dhak.”
