Exclusive | Amid Pathaan row, Ratna Pathak Shah says these are ‘silly times’: ‘People don’t have food but can outrage about someone else’s clothes’

Ahead of the release of her debut Gujarati film Kutch Express, scheduled to release on January 6, Ratna Pathak Shah told indianexpress.com about the irony the country is going through: People don’t have food on their plates but can outrage about clothes someone else is wearing.

When asked what does it feel like to be an artiste at a time when what one says or the colour of a dress they wear becomes a national topic, Ratna said, “I would say we are living in very silly times, if these are the things that are on top of your mind. It isn’t something that I would like to talk about very much or give much credence to.

“But I am hoping that there are many more sensible people in India than are visible at the moment. They will come through, because what is happening, this sense of fear, sense of exclusion is not sustainable. I feel humans cannot sustain hate beyond a point. There is an uprise, but then you get exhausted with hate. I am waiting for that day to come.”

Over the past few years, the Hindi film industry has been at the receiving end of relentless social media hate, which has also trickled to on-ground protests.

Days after the release of Pathaan song “Besharam Rang”, Hindu right-wing outfits tried to protest at Bhedaghat, the site of marble rocks, and the picturesque Dhuadhar waterfall in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh after getting to know that Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dunki was being shot there.

A lot of social media conversation around film artistes also come with the judgement of them being frivolous, painting the entire industry as an unworthy place to work at. When asked if the perception pains Ratna Pathak Shah–who has been working for nearly four decades in the movies–the actor said much of it is purely manufactured.

“I have heard that these are the conversations that’s happening. There is no doubt that there is a devaluation of artistes in the minds of the common person– or let’s say, in some minds. And that there is much external motivation and fanning the flame to keep certain issues boiling.

“It is not a good thing for any society to function like that, I feel that very strongly. Art and craft need sense of freedom, in order to achieve their full potential. It is becoming difficult.”

Ratna Pathak Shah, however, also noted that it isn’t that the Hindi film industry has produced some of its finest works in recent times. The actor feels the film industry can perhaps be rightly called out for the substandard work, but paintings film artistes with labels is saddening.

“We haven’t produced any stuff that deserves any kind of accolades. A lot of stuff we produce is pretty horrifying or at best mediocre. The effort that goes into making a film is enormous and all this easy branding of films and film people as this or that is such a pity. What a waste of time. Don’t we have other things to think about?

“Look at our country, the pandemic has wiped-out small-scale manufacturing in our country, people don’t have enough to eat, and we are fussing over who is wearing what clothes?”

Directed by Viral Shah, Kutch Express also stars Manasi Parekh, Dharmendra Gohil, Darsheel Safary and Viraff Patel among others.