At a time when the film industry is seen through the lens of its political undercurrents, veteran actors Ratna Pathak Shah and Naseeruddin Shah have shown camaraderie and professionalism that transcend ideological differences. Despite their political ideologies not aligning, they continue to collaborate with fellow industry icons and National School of Drama graduates, Paresh Rawal and Anupam Kher.
In a recent interaction with ‘Lallantop’, Ratna shed light on how they manage to maintain their professional relationships and friendships despite differing viewpoints. She said, “We all grew up at a time when two people could be friends but also have different ideologies. You’re right in your place. I’m right in mine. There’s dialogue, discussion and even disagreement, but that doesn’t cause a rift in interpersonal relations. This is a more recent trend. This is neither our country’s culture nor I’ve seen anything like this before.”
Reflecting on her upbringing, Ratna shared a personal anecdote about her parents, who came from starkly different political backgrounds. She said, “I was 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 argument at our home, but still, we all lived happily together. I know that disagreement with an opinion doesn’t mean dislike for a person. This is a very new phenomenon: if you don’t agree with me, then you should be cancelled. This isn’t our culture. At least it’s not my culture. Nor of anyone I know.”
Ratna expressed concern over the current cultural climate, where disagreements often lead to cancellations and hostility. She emphasized that this behaviour is neither reflective of India’s cultural heritage nor her personal experience. “They’re making us Indians fight with each other like kids do on the school playground. How do bullies ill-treat weaker kids? Do we want to be like them? No. I won’t become one, nor will I let my kids become them either. Whoever I have an influence on, I’ll tell them, ‘We cannot become bullies’. We have to become cultured human beings. That’s our culture,” she added.