Coming from Shimla and raised in a family of farmers, Pratibha Ranta has had an humble upbringing, and in our Father’s Day special series, she says that her father Rajesh Ranta instilled that humility in her in every aspect of life. “My father has been the biggest inspiration in my life. I have seen him work very hard to earn a good living for us. To give us a good lifestyle, my parents sacrificed a lot, including leaving us with our grandparents so that he could earn for us, and I feel so grateful for it,” the actor says.
Pratibha Ranta, who got widespread acclaim after her work in Laapataa Ladies, also credits her father for inculcating the love for films in her. “He loves watching movies and today, if I am in this industry, it’s all because of my papa. He used to bring CDs for us at home and that inspired me a lot to venture into this world,” she says, as her father adds: “I have seen her passion for performing since she was a child as she was so into dancing since she was two-year-old.”
Describing their bond, Rajesh says, “Our relationship is such that main uske bola bina hi uski mann ki baat samajh jata hun.” As she agrees to it, Pratibha says, “He has always pampered me. Main bachpan mein bahut zidd karti thi but he would make sure all my wishes were met. My father also loves photography a lot and I was always his muse. He has documented my whole childhood. But now, I feel parenty towards my parents. I want to give them everything, so the roles have somewhat reversed.”
The proud father shares that the film industry seemed a far-fetched world in the background they lived in, but Pratibha’s success changed his perspective. “While I was worried when she moved to Mumbai to follow her passion, the day she got her first lead role in a TV show, I felt so proud. The things which we couldn’t have even dreamed of, she achieved that,” he says, as Pratibha adds that she could follow her passion because he taught her how to be independent from a very young age. “He gave me an independent upbringing, teaching me how to survive on my own. But I have always known that if I am ever in a difficult situation, he will be there to save me.”
Proud of her daughter’s success, Rajesh says, “Pura Himachal Pratibha ki kamyaabi pe garv kar raha hai, aur usse badi mere liye garv ki koi baat nahi hai.” However, the actor feels happier being considered her father’s daughter. “It feels very nice when people complement me in front of him, but I love that I am known by my father’s name. That is my biggest achievement as the people close to me always call me ‘Rajesh ki beti’.”
