More than four decades have passed since Supriya Pathak Kapur made her film debut with Shyam Benegal’s “Kalyug,” captivating audiences with her expressive kohl-streaked eyes and demure smile. Throughout her journey, she has effortlessly portrayed a variety of characters, showcasing her versatility in acting.
I enjoy acting. Give me anything that is chewable, and I will chew on it. I enjoy performing different roles. I never want to get stuck with one character.
Supriya Pathak
Be it “Idhar-Udhar’s street smart Poonam, Kalyug’s Subhadra & “Bazaar’s ill feted Shabnam, for which she won two consecutive Filmfare’s Best Supporting Actress Awards, Manu in Oscar winner “Gandhi”, Khichdi’s Hansa or Dhankor Ben of “Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, Supriya Pathak done it all and that too with great conviction and superior artistry which we rarely seen on silver screen.
Supriya was born on 7 January 1961 in Mumbai, Her mother was one of the pioneer in theatre and films the great Dina Pathak and Baldev Pathak, dressmaker to the stars like Dilip Kumar and Rajesh Khanna. She is younger sister of Ratna Pathak Shah, who is also an actor of great repute and is married to Naseeruddin Shah.
Supriya started her career with the play “Maina Gurjari” under direction of her mother Deena Pathak. While doing Dinesh Thakur’s Play “Biwiyon ka Madarsa” at Prithvi Theatre, Shashi Kapoor’s wife Jennifer Kendall spotted her and recommended her to Shyam Benegal for their home production Kalyug (1981), an adaptation of the epic Mahabharata, where she played Subhadra.
She goes on to do films like Vijeta (1982), Sagar Sarhadi’s Bazaar (1982), Pankaj Kapoor’s Masoom (1983) and Ketan Mehta’s Mirch Masala (1985) and starred in the 1988 French film, The Bengali Night.
After an 11-year break from acting, she made a comeback with the 2005 film “Sarkar” and its 2008 sequel, “Sarkar Raj.” In “Wake Up Sid” (2009), she portrayed a devoted mother bridging the generation gap with her son.
In 2013 she terrorized the world and specially young lovers as sinister Dhankor Baa in 2013’s “Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela” for which she won numerous acclodes. Filmfare magazine hailed her role a “career watershed.”
