Naseeruddin Shah recalls Ratna Pathak Shah’s parents were against their marriage as he was a ‘drug-addict, ill-tempered’

Naseeruddin Shah has said that he fell for Ratna Pathak Shah when he first saw her. However, her parents did not approve of their match as he was a “drug addict, ill-tempered, and had also been married earlier”. Naseeruddin also recalled their courting days in a new interview. (Also read: Naseeruddin Shah on being trolled by Pakistanis for comment on Sindhi language)

Ratna-Naseer

After dating for around seven years, actors Ratna Pathak Shah and Naseeruddin Shah got married on April 2, 1982. He has a daughter -Heeba Shah – from his first marriage. Ratna and Naseeruddin have two sons – Imaad Shah and Vivaan Shah. Both Imaad and Vivaan are actors.

Living together before marriage

Asked if he lived with Ratna before getting married, Naseeruddin Shah told Humans of Bombay, “We did not live together, we were courting. I courted her for seven years before marriage. Her parents were against it, as I was a drug addict and married before. And (I was) ill-tempered (also), but she did not pay any heed to that.”

He also talked about falling for Ratna the moment he saw her. “I took to Ratna right away… the moment I saw her. I had done my first film att the time when we were introduced. She was working in a Satyadev Dubey play and I had done one film. It just felt like I’d like to know this person. She also liked what she saw, (of course). It has been a great blessing. We stood by each other through thick and thin, it fact she stood by me through all kinds of time – very difficult and very good times.” He added that the main reason for the relationship to be still strong, is that we have remained friends.”

Naseeruddin Shah

Naseeruddin featured in the recent ZEE5 original, period drama Taj Reign of Revenge in which he plays emperor Akbar. Ratna Pathak Shah made her film debut in Gujarati cinema with Kutch Express. The actor has already appeared in the Netflix web series Trial By Fire earlier this year. She is also seen as the matriarch of a close-knit Gujarati family in the Prime Video comedy series Happy Family: Conditions Apply.