Ratan Rajput, who had lost her dad to the Big C last year, has now come to terms with his absence. “It was not easy but life has to go on. I am now happy and hope he is in a good place too.”
For the moment, Ratan, last seen in Santoshi Maa, is in no hurry to get back to work. “Right now, I am exploring other facets of life, wanting to go beyond just acting. Having said that, I will never give up this performing art till my last breath.”
Ratan is using this break to soak in knowledge about life. “I have just started reading Mahavir and Osho. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to renounce the world; rather, I believe that spirituality, if properly harnessed, can be a very good tool to enhance our life. It is much better than our industry, which sells a pipe dream.”
“Unlike others, Osho says the job of an actor is easier, for we only have to perform a role knowing that it is not the truth. Sadly, many actors lose the plot, getting too embroiled in the rat race. Being content with my lot helps avoid the ‘out of sight is out of mind’ tension. I have already achieved a lot and one has to draw a line somewhere,” says Ratan, who first gained fame with Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo and STAR Plus’ Mahabharat.
“I have not joined any particular order, but by studying most, have come to the conclusion that all preach some kind of mediation technique to change our life for the better. I do practise Sri Shri Ravi Shankar’s Sudarshan Kiya.”
When asked about Osho’s controversial teaching, she says, “At first, I too believe that he preached only sex; but now I am coming to get his funda that we need to get sex, which is basic human nature, out of our system, before moving to more important matters of the soul.”
“I just hope that the gradual awakening which is starting to happen within me also percolates to the entire industry, for then this self-awareness will rub off positively on content as well.”
In closing, Ratan, who is really impressed by the new Ekta Kapoor web series, Home, which goes beyond just s*x and abuse to address real issues, says, “We first need to clearly demarcate between heavily politicized organized religion and spirituality, which is bigger and deals with life as a whole.”
“Also, the public needs to jettison their personal prejudices/ignorance, which seem to make them fall prey to machinations of wily politicians who use religion and caste as a mere votebank tool.”