 We were in a furniture store. I don't care. And the salesman told us that the sofa, I don't care. There's seats, five people without any problems. Don't care. And I said, so where am I gonna find five people without any problems? Just. Don't go back to our distributor, XM Corvin. On break. Falsing Instagram Twitter for more juice content. Thanks very much. Threads, baby. No. Talk to me on threads. That's where I am. I do not follow them on threads. Yes. There's at this point, there's 3,000 of you. So thank you. Mwah. A interviews is called the icon. So what? So we got. Oh, icons. Sorry, I saw the spelling. You freaked me out there for a minute. I thought it had something to do with your eyeballs. So this is three legendary actresses. We'll decide if they're legends or not. Yeah. Supriapathic, Ratnapathic, Shah, and Twinklekana. So Twinklekana, you know. This is Nisir's wife. This is Shahid's stepmom. Okay. We will concur and that makes it official. They're legends. But basically they talk about everything from life to working to. Awesome. Is this recent, I assume? Yeah, two weeks ago or something like that. Cool. So it kind of just dropped, but those are three actresses who know what they're talking about. Yes, they do. And which is, this will hopefully be a lot of fun. Here we go. Men with girls. Men, did you know before you met Nisir? Supri, so many good-looking guys in college. I used to rule. I had eyes. No, you didn't. You only had eyes when I see you. But next time. I'm already loving it. Hey, Zaddy. Oh, my God. Oh, these are all, yeah, Twinkle's interview. So I guess Twinkle is the interviewer. Yes, the interviewer. You want to go scuba diving? They're sitting there going. Poppy. Yeah, please. Stop it, Gopi. So this is the first time that we have a duo as our icons because, honestly, nobody could decide which sister was more talented. Do y'all believe that one of you is more talented than the other? Biologic. You're both into trouble straight away. Yeah, I think Supri is more talented. Well, I think it matters. New news. It's been very nice. It's been very nice. They're sisters? We're just warming up. Holy shit. We have our own. What a talented friend. Wait a minute, wait a minute. An epitaph. Turn this off. I think both of us have very distinct personalities. In distinct ways of working. Seeing which one of us, it depends upon every performance. We go one at a time. We're having to make choices like that. Which is the best, which is the first. But I was just doing this so that you all will start with a little bit of conflict. So, spices are bright enough. I know your little trick. And yes, we've been reading a lot of spice for you. You know, but y'all had cornered the entire market as far as talent is concerned in the industry. Both of y'all, your spouses. What exactly are you all putting in those dhoklas? Well, we can't tell you. Please give me. I need some of that balance, but yeah, please. It's an interest, which somehow permeates the whole family. So, the conversations all focus around acting or film or theatre or something like that. Good God. What a family. Is there a more talented family? I don't know, man. Yeah, when you talk about thespianatic capacity, every one of them, wow. You know, even at a later age, it was all. So, we kind of got the residue of the bomb. So, now we are trying to create our own bombs, but that's a different matter. But that came from her. And as for Naseer and Pankaj, I think they are all... They're own bombs. They are. I have to say that Naseer was the trigger for me to become interested in acting. I took it much more likely because I think everyone did at that time. My mother too, she was extremely invested in acting when she was younger, when she was running her own theatre company in Ahmedabad. But later, by the time she got into films, and that's the time I remember watching her. She was doing such mediocre work for a thing. What's she? I remember in Golmal. I mean, that iconic Golmal. From Golmal? Hubsurat. Tell me another. Hubsurat. Hubsurat. There was one more. Mohan, yeah, exactly. Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho. Yeah, I remember that. Much later, but for the most part, she was just playing sad mom in the background. But that was, I think also at that time, those were the kind of roles that were there. I'm not making any judgmental stand about it. That's what we, at least I, thought acting was about more or less. This business that acting was more than that came to me thanks to two people, the Seer of course, but Satyadev Dubey. So I also worked with Satyadev Dubey and I think he gave up on me. One day, he said, I can't take it anymore. He locked me in a room and he said, Till, you can actually imagine that there are roses here. I smell the roses and see them. I don't know who it is. I was there for nine hours. But I also have the same thing. I really learned about acting when I met Pankaj. It was that his process and his understanding of what he was doing, watching him. Well, you both mastered it. Kind of triggered something in my head. I think you're giving them too much importance because I remember that you started in place. Your mom was directing a lot of Gujarati plays and there was a play where she decided not to cast your elder sister because she felt your elder sister didn't have the right devotion or something like that. And that's how I started. At the start, I didn't want to be an actor. Literally, everybody in my house, it was very strange. My dad used to have a lot of, our dad used to throw a lot of parties. And after helping him set up the house. I know. Going to my room, those were the lights and sat in there. It's like inception. The whole party didn't get over. And what was your sister doing? She was the buzzing around. She was calling around. She was calling around. And there used to be such fights. Yes. And such conversations. Oh, yes. And we would have major battles because my dad was a businessman. He was an RSS man. Completely different kind of family background. My mother is this actress. Communist party member at one point. And a completely bizarre, they had two kinds sets of friends and they'd all mix them up together. I don't know how and why. But dad used to love that. Yes. Used to love scholarly people. Pure combustion. Who would ignite. And then he would click like that. A little bit of a conversation and it would all flare up and he'd go on the side and watch. Did, right? I mean, no one knows that those guru kurtas that became really famous, they were done by dad. He was doing all the costumes. So you said that you would hide in the room and you were taking... Dancing on the table. Dancing on the table. Did you bully her a lot? Yes, of course. Why would you do that? What a big sister's man. Younger sister's man for fear to be bullied. At the body bar, I cried a lot, which is not true. I never did. I made her cry a lot. That's what happened. No, no, I was a cranky jack. Really, honestly. I'm being very honest. I was a cranky jack. I remember crying at the drop of a hat and I couldn't and lots of tears with, you know, not just her, but real tears coming out. Clearly you didn't eat glycerine all throughout that. She never used glycerine. I've never used glycerine. And my sister bullied me. But again, in a similar manner, where she would hit me and because she was smaller in size, I wouldn't hit her. And then she would go and say that I've attacked her. And because I was 300 kgs heavier than her, she, everyone believed me. Sounds like an eldest child. No, never hit me, never hit me. She never hit me. But you know what she used to do, which is... I used emotional blackmail. Yeah. Like any good girl would. Like we know there was a room. You don't know where there was a window in Dad and Mom's room, which had... It didn't have any ledge. It was just like this thing. And the window opened and there was an AC. So she knew that she wouldn't fall. But she would go and put one thing over the other side and say, if you don't do this, I will jump off. That's very dramatic. That's how you learn how to act. But she knew that there was that. And I never knew that that AC could act. Then nothing could happen to her. Darling, acting is all about creativity. I was like, acting is about being a very good liar. So I guess you started early. Yeah, yeah. So both of you decided you all wanted to be actresses. At what point did you figure that out? Were you very young or...? I was going to be an air hostess. Because all my friends were going to be air hostesses. So I said, I'm going to be an air hostess. But in class nine, there was a mono-acting competition in school. And I did something for that. And I was running, running. You didn't do something. You need history for our school. I had to hear it all my life in school. And then they would look at me and say, you're my sister. Look, it was like... I don't know, it's okay. I'm exaggerating. No, no, I'm not even... I was out of the school before she got here. Yeah, that's why. If you were there, they would have known. But I know, I said like that. But when you got into the movie business, again, was this feeling there that you were a little bit in her shadow and how would you live up to her, which was in school? The thing is... So Soops got in much earlier. And she was doing very much more work. She's done much more work on films than I have. I started getting work now. I did some television, but she did all the film work. What do you think of your triumph in your entire body of work? Where do you think... What do you think was the peak of what you did? I know the peak will still keep coming, but at that point by then, what had you done that you were very proud of and you said, this is it, I finally made it? I'd say Sarabhai for me to a certain extent, because that made me more visible than I'd ever been. And more people saw my work than they ever had. So that definitely. But the one that truly made me feel satisfied and made me feel that I surprised myself a little was Lipstick Under My Boat. I love that. That's been on my list for a while. It was in a bathroom scene from Lipstick Under My Boat. Really well done. I think we heard about that film year one. It was the first time I think that... I wanted to watch that for a while. ...that all the women have a certain sexuality about them, which was completely missing before that. How do you think that that changed how women are perceived? Did you get any reactions about... From strange people, you know, I'm buying vegetables in the market. I love buying vegetables in markets. I've never done that. It's a random thing to really enjoy. Why was it such a depressing end? It was made by a woman. Why could she not see any hope for these women? Why such a depressing end? So I asked her, what kind of an end would you think works? And she thought for a bit and said, No, I know. But we shared such a connection for that moment. But for both of you, I think Sarabhai versus Sarabhai and Kichri brought you into as part of the Zeitgeist. And suddenly you were right there beaming out of televisions. But I mean, Kichri kind of also made me realise what a pleasure acting is. Doing Hansa was just not... It was like a therapy for me. So, you know, it's like if I go on a Kichri set, you're not working. I'm in therapy and I'm enjoying it. So that was the kind of thing that I had. And then I did Dhankore. Everybody was stunned by it because they thought that how could a person who does Hansa... How can she do something like Dhankore? And which I give all full marks to Sanjay Ji for casting me in that and giving me the confidence that I can do it. Your true colours are finally coming out. Actually, Pankaj Ji said that he said that only Sanjay Ji could see that the evil in you. That I see. But both of you are very good at dialects and accents and everything. I mean, you have all those iconic lines. The way you're speaking now and what you were speaking, you know, the way you were conversing in Kichri are completely different. Please say one line in your Kichri voice. Oh my God. And then we're going to ask your sister what she wants. Please. Haya is not me. I'm here as Ratna. Not Haya. Please. All I need is a line in Kichri. Is there a line in Kichri? Yes, say, how a line in Kichri. Okay, we need a line in Kichri. Somebody tell us a line from Kichri. Hello, how are? Hello, how are? Hansa would never die in a game if you were out rolling. What happened? And I have always felt that comedy saved me from a fate worse than death, which is that of a melodramatic Indian actress. Indian actresses are largely expected to cry a lot or wear skippy clothes and dance a lot. These are the two extremes that the boar girls have to fluctuate between. And comedy saves you from that. And I've done my bit of crying roles. I did Bazar, which was like, how beautifully you cried. I love your crying role. You've always loved her crying. Both of you spoke about how your husband's changed your outlook towards acting. How did you meet your husband? Where did you meet him? In a rehearsal. We were doing a play with Dubejik. And it was called Sambhoksha Sanyas Tak. Covers the world of our lives together. Sanyas Lena Baapik. When you first saw him, what was your initial impression? He was wearing these great John Lennon glasses. I like that. I love men with beards. But I didn't even get his name. Did you know before you met Nassim? So many girls in college, I used to be young. I had eyes. Excuse me. You only had eyes for Nassim. But before, we were talking about him. Anyway. And I didn't even get his name right. Because I was introduced to him by Dubej. By that time, Dubej had, you know, caught rid of a lot of his teeth. But you could not understand what Dubej was saying at the best of time. You know, he would be like that. So he sort of named Nassir. But I couldn't hear it. I heard Shirendra Sina. For some reason. So you call him Shirendra. No, no. But as we went to the, when we went for the rehearsal, then Nassir introduced himself to the rest of the cast. So then I heard it's Nassir again. But wasn't Shirendra Sina. Nassir, I think Shirendra Dubej, when you used to be my relative, you stayed to be my friend. And what about you? Where did you meet? We were doing a film together. That film was made only for us to meet. We never got to know each other. We just, just hit it off. What sucks. We both had a lot of backlog, a lot of history, but we just, it just happened. By the time we finished the film, we could vest to each other and, you know, I went my way and he went his. And then we got back in Mumbai together. And that film never saw the release. I met my husband on a set and I wish that film had not seen it like that. Unfortunately, yeah, it was really bad. The moving finger rights and having rich moves on. Yes. The only thing good about it was that we met it. Yeah. But both of y'all sort of entered these blended families. Did you get married first? Did she get married first? I got married first. Yeah, she got married first. So when she got married, did you give her advice? Ah, who was going to take that advice? I tried it. By then, by then, I think I let her do very sentimental and all that. Yeah, you did, yeah. Everybody tried, but I didn't listen to anybody. And by then, I had kind of come to a point where I didn't want to listen to anybody. I had quite made up my mind. And my mother, till the last few years of her life, still tried changing my mind after two children. I said, she kept saying, he will leave you, mom. I said, no, okay. Now what? What happens to me? How many years? He has been so many years and she's still kept telling me. You made a mistake. Oh, wow. I said, now it's okay. I managed. Did she say that to you as well? Of course, she was a great warrior. She could worry about anything at any time of night or day. So she was not very much of a support, but I think Radha did the Yukkhandu coming around. Coming around, I mean, she was so obviously happy. So what was the point? But you also came into families. There were already children there. And so what's the difference? Or what would you tell other people in blended families? How do you handle it when there's, you know, he already has a family and you have to enter that and make sure that that child is also, you know, loved and included? What is the advice that you would give women? Naseer gave me some very good advice, which I don't think I've followed he certainly hasn't, but it actually happened. Except in Deepa's case, that it's best not to give too much of a name to a relationship. Husband, wife, mother, son, et cetera. You know, these things become straight jackets. If you keep the relationship with flexible, it helps. And with Heba, that definitely did help. Both of us happened to be in a situation where we could keep it flexible. I gave all credit to Heba because she was the younger one. She was the one who was having to make all the really tough adjustments to a new world. So we just decided to try and take it as let's say how this develops from both sides. And luckily it developed well. I personally felt that, see, I met Shahad when he was very, when he was six years old. So for me, he was the cutest baby I've seen. He was such a lovely child. He was very warm. And he did not have any defined reactions towards me and no did I have them too. So when we met, it was kind of instantly liking each other as people. And I think that is what just carried on. Though of course there were lots of times when he was not with us because if you're lucky, Heba was with us all the time. With us, it was not like that. So there was these times when, whenever he would come, but they would always be a kind of, we kind of reacted to each other's people. And I do agree with that. Do not be inexorable a little bit. I think even my own children, I don't really have any name. I don't know, this is my daughter, this is my son. Really no, they are my friends. They are really. My daughter and my younger son are so much of my friends that I can't call them my son and daughter. I feel like, you know, if somebody starts talking about Ruhan or Sana is, oh, your children. I say, I mean. It'd be very bad if you were a step-parent and you called, you had a real son. And then you said, this is my real son. Right. And then this is my step-child. I've tried this. That's trauma for a child. Yeah. It hasn't worked. I am a step-child, so I know. My step-dad did not do that. This is my niece. Now let me have a relationship with this niece. It doesn't work. I'm actually gonna try this advice. I guess, it's quite nice. Because you're just reacting to people as people. And now that your children are older, it's so much easier to do. Because when they're young, you are responsible for them and what they will do. But now that my kids are older, I mean, I really don't have to think of them as my kids. I can just think of them as human beings. I don't like some of the things that they do. Yes. I really admire some of the things that they do. Absolutely. Because I would, with you or with him or with anyone. Yep. I think that's a nice feeling. It's a nice feeling too. I think that's a nice way to go about life. It's just, now, both of you are now in your sixth decade. When you look back, what do you think has been your best decade? Oh. After I got married to Burkart. This one is a dad. She said, oh my God. I'd say 40 to 50 for me. And even after. You? Because I'm doing the most. The one I'm in now. Nice. 50. So yes, so 40 onwards. I think life really began for me at 40. So many people say that and it is very, very true. Yeah. I have that thought. I'd like to be sweet 16. Heck no, I wouldn't want to be a teenager again. I hated everything about me at 16. I hate to think about the eye. I would think about 16 for some reason. I was 16 in my head. I'm still waiting. Yeah, so I mean, actually I feel very young because I'm not yet 60. That was my goal. I feel perfectly young at 60 also. I mean, I feel more settled in my head about many things. I don't have the same kashmakash that I had as a younger person. But really, I know today, it's so nice. You don't have to think about how they are looking all the time and don't have to think about, you know, either I'm making the right impression, are you not? I was so tired doing that, you know, through your whole young age. You have to constantly think about, are you a security as actors? Yeah. You guys are female actors too. Today's actors, they're saying, get old quickly, it's going to be good. Also, it did help that I discovered soon after I came out of the LSD that acting is not something that you do only while you're young and pretty. For some reason that was stuck in my head. That as a woman, you act until you're young and pretty, then you get put on the shelf. Well, that's what the industry can do. I saw so many actors, female actors who were working well into their old age. I saw actresses all over the world doing absolutely stunning work at all kinds of ages. And then it struck me that, I want to act my whole life. I don't want to be worried about the way I'm looking. That's not what acting means to me. That was a great release. That really made me feel that I've got something else to work towards. Women can get really bogged down in this business of looking pretty. I see young girls around me on a set and I really worry for them sometimes because it's such a narrowing vision. It makes you look at yourself in such a narrow way. Yeah, I mean, even when I was talking to Mom, I think we were speaking about this. And that's the whole thing. Once you pass a certain age, that worry kind of fades away in a sense. And yeah, in fact, it's this age, I find a little tricky because you are in your 40s, but everybody expects you to look like you are in your 20s. And I think when you cross over and you're actually 60, you can say, okay, now. You know what I mean? It's done. It's so nice. Really nice. You also get a seat when you... Somebody, they're all standing there. And you have to possess yourself. You lose your age very, very cleverly. Very nice fun. So it's great fun. And it's also true that today, a woman my age, one gets work, two gets respect and nobody looks down at me and says, all right, poor old lady, et cetera. So this is a different world. But only you should be healthy. That's one thing that's huge about old, getting older. The only thing that really scares or worries you is how is it going to affect you physically? If you ever get down to that state, then I'm a little worried about that. Otherwise growing old... Take care of yourself. Now, just now you said, goodie and auntie, still people use that as an insult. So what would you tell anybody who will call you a goodie and an auntie? What is your answer? Just a little bit. And you can always do the beta number, talk down to them, beta. Fun. I think that works. One last thing, what is your secret to having this long and successful career? How did you all manage this? Two sisters? Long, yes. They have that sister look. Also successful for a long time for me. But now, yes. So how did I manage it? I don't know. I don't remember doing anything consciously. Except keeping on working at the business of acting. I find that very interesting. I like thinking about it. I like practicing. I like... And theater has definitely helped. The fact that I do theater regularly and I don't just act in the theater. I have... I would love to see you play. That really seems to me. Yes. Free and open in my head and looking forward to tomorrow. And so, Preeti, I think what has really kept me going with my whole life is the necessity to be happy. It's contented in whatever I do. And I never felt that it has been low or a bad time. Because I think this is what it was supposed to be and this is what it has been. So success really never ever mattered to me in that sense. Yes, the kind of thing that really mattered to me was what kind of work I do. And as long as my work is being liked by my audience and I'm being appreciated or liked, enjoyed by my audiences, I've always been fine. So I think that contentment that was there in me from the very beginning, in that, really keeps me going. Yes. Supriya has a great facility for happiness. Yeah, she does it. Oh, that's so nice. Thank you so much. I think I've learned so much. Oh, God. I've always wanted to be 16. I'm really looking forward to it. Thank you. That's amazing. Thank you so much. Me too. Thanks very much. Thank you. Thank you. Lovely chat. That was awesome. That was lovely. The most important thing is we found out they were sisters. Yeah. Wild. If you've told us that in the past, it didn't click. Nope. Did not click at all. Talk about it. God damn. Yeah, really mind blowing. Mind blowing. Obviously, I knew the separate two, but the fact that they're just all mind blowing together and they're all so talented actors. Yeah. Like in terms of, I know there's big pores. Right. And obviously a lot of them are really talented actors and stuff like that. But like every single one of these is a thespian. I don't know if there's a better thespian family out there. You'd have to tell me who you think that would be because man, I did not know that. Yep. Yeah, and it was so interesting. Obviously, they're talented actors. Usually the most talented actors are the ones that have always loved theater a long time. It just almost goes hand in hand a lot of times because that's, I mean, essentially the birthplace of acting is just performing in front of people, right? It is. So, I mean, I guess you don't have to have an audience to act, but it helps. I would beg to differ. I would say you have to have an audience to act because who are you doing it for? Yourself? Really? So if you're doing rehearsal, nobody's there. You're not acting? So, yeah. I'm talking technicals. Technicals, right. So someone who learns lines and runs their lines by themselves over and over again by themselves for their entire life never does it in front of a human being once. They're not an actor. That's true. I'm saying, are they acting? They're acting at the point. I'm talking at the technical level. Oh, they are acting. They're acting, but they're not actors. Yeah, I agree with that. I'm saying, I was saying, to act, do you have to have an audience? No, to be an actor, do you have to have acting to be an actor? Oh, okay, I see, I get the differentiation you're talking about, but if I'm here and I'm just performing my scene alone, I am acting. Absolutely, 100%. But yes, if you, the scenario you gave, I wouldn't call them an actor. Right. They haven't either done it professionally or tried to do it. Yeah, it's an interesting distinction because it's true. You don't need an audience to be acting, but you do need an audience to be an actor. It's just like, I think if you've, I would never consider myself an editor. I've edited a bunch of stuff, but if I've not done it professionally, I don't think I could be called an editor. Right. I don't think that. Well, and it goes back to, for me, because the differentiation I add something onto this to Sanford Meisner's definition of what is acting, because Meisner said acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances. Yeah. That's true, I think, but it also needs to, I add to that, acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances and being believable doing it. Because if you're doing it and there isn't someone to watch you and believe you're doing it, I think it's missing the element of acting that it's designed to be. It's purpose. Be determining on if the intent of the thing is to be believable as well. I think it always is the intent. Well, like Monty Python, I don't believe he's a knight. I just, they were just doing a shtick and it was funny. I think they're still acting. So I think I'd put a caveat on that. If the intent is to be believable, then yes, they obviously, they used to be a preface, but there's other things that different types, as you know, the vaudevillian. Well, yeah, that differentiates actor from entertainer. Yeah, I don't ever, like there's a lot of times where I don't believe that Charlie Chaplin was whatever he was doing at that moment, not the, what's his famous one? Was it about the... The tramp? The tramp, that I believe, obviously. But like, if he does different things, at that time it was just to be funny. Right. It wasn't to believe he was this thing. Right, that for me is... So there's a distinction there. I think they go between being an actor and an entertainer when you're talking about those aspects of it. But yeah, so this was great. Yeah, I would love to hear them talk more about craft specificity. The fact that their sister still blows my mind. Also, if you are part of a villain family, I am part of a villain family. I've heard people in the past, like when they're talking, they're talking, they have a kid and they had, oh, no, this person was in the interview, said, they had stepped kids all their life and he always wanted to have a kid with his wife, and they kept trying and kept trying and they eventually had it. And what he said was, and then I had my real son. Ooh, my stars. What the fuck, man? Wow. I would be devastated if my stepdad ever said about, because I consider him, even though I have a real father who I have a great relationship with, if my stepdad ever said my real son, who he has a real son, his John, my stepbrother, and my half-brother, who his name is still my youngest brother, me and my older brother are his stepchildren, but if he ever said my real kid John, I would be heartbroken. My mom's dad. Because I consider him my real dad. Yeah, my mom's biological father, his name was Tony Chirico, I never met the man. I've never met or known my biological grandfather on my mother's side. The only grandfather I ever know was Vinny Gallo, who, thankfully, my grandma liked Italian men, so I was biologically Italian and I still had an Italian grandpa. So he became her adoptive parent when she was, I think, around four or five years old, right? Never, never did it ever was it stated by anyone in my family at any time, step. Yeah. Grandpa, and I was his grandson. No, yeah. It was never, I don't even remember the day I found out he wasn't my biological grandpa and finding out there was an Anthony Chirico, it happened when I was really, really young, but it didn't even register to me because Vinny Gallo was my grandpa. Yeah, I was never introduced as my step-dads or my mom never introduced my other brothers, my step-brother and half-brother. Yeah, my step-brother, she never introduced him as, these are my sons, this is my step-son. She never, it was always, these are my kids. Right, exactly. Don't make that. These are my kids. They're your children. Yeah, yeah. Once you marry in and you decided to be a unit. Exactly. These are, there's no distinction between a step-child and a real child. Yep. It gets more complicated, obviously, the older they get because you know and they know that you're a step-child, but as a parent, it should be no distinction between the two of you. Cause I agreed. I can't imagine the amount of heartbreak I would have if my step-dad ever said, my real son, and this is my step-son. Yeah. I mean, I know I am. But don't say that. Agreed. Super weird. Anyways, also I didn't know she was in lipstick under my burka, makes me want to save it even more. I've heard a lot of good stuff about that movie. Anyways, let us know what's your next film of both of theirs that we're watching, of the interviews we can react to down below. Josh!