Mira is a great mum, our job is only to pamper our grandchildren: Supriya Pathak Kapur

Supriya Pathak Kapur is in town to shoot for Kaushik Ganguly’s Hindi directorial debut Manohar Pandey. In a chat with CT, the actress spoke about how she misses being on stage, her definition of love, lessons of the pandemic and more. Excerpts.
In 2019 you were in Kolkata with Pankaj Kapur for the play Dreamz –Seher. How does it feel to be back again in the city, this time for a film project?
I enjoy coming to this warm city! In fact, both Pankaj and I love being here.Pankaj's association with Kolkata is older - he has worked here more often than I have. I love the city's architecture, the people and the audience. One of our best friends, a writer, used to live here. Sadly, he is no more. Even though I am diabetic and vegetarian, I enjoy the food - the aloo posto, and the sweets and the Chinese. Then of course the handloom saris! I remember years back when Pankaj and I were seeing each other, he had come to Kolkata for a shoot and went back with four beautiful saris for me. It was one of his first gifts for me and a treasure.
What made you say yes to Manohar Pandey?
The script! I like projects where I enjoy reading the script. I always ask myself - will I enjoy watching this film? And that’s one of the reasons I gave my nod to the project. Also, in Kaushik da I found an honest and nice person who knew his job well. He wanted to make a film that he believes in, to the best of his ability. The casting too is very interesting and so is the story. I have enjoyed working in Love Per Square Foot with Raghu Bhai and I am again working with him on this project. With Saurabh ji this is my first film.
Manohar Pandey is a love story of a middle-aged couple in the background of the pandemic. What does love mean to you at this point in life?
To me, the definition of love remains the same, but its understanding changes with age and maturity. Love to me means wanting to be with your loved one or do something for someone you care about selflessly. It’s not the mushy part of it at all. The emotional bond grows with time where sharing life with that person becomes important.

Recently you spoke about how during the lockdown you were thankful to your parents who made you appreciate books and reading. Do you encourage your children to do the same?
My daughter-in-law (Mira Kapoor) loves to read books and so does my granddaughter. She is five years old now and she loves making us read her books too. Her favourite pastime is: Ba (she calls me Ba) and Baba (she addresses Pankaj as Baba) kahani batao... so we tell her stories and she too tells us stories in return. They are very involved in books and that’s the great part of Mira - she encourages them to read as well. I must say Mira is a great mother, so our job is only to pamper our grandchildren.
What has this pandemic taught you?
It has taught me that we can do with very little in life. The other major thing that I learnt was to be with myself, to know and to understand myself. It was me-time for me. You have to learn how to be with yourself. And I felt I am not a bad person… that was a discovery (laughs)!
Any immediate plans of getting back on stage again?
I miss being on stage but Pankaj and I have put our plans on hold. While I am already shooting, I am not confident of asking people to come to the theatre in bulk. I would like to wait a little longer for things to normalise. That apart, both Pankaj and I are working on our respective films so that too is keeping us busy.

You seem to share a good camaraderie with Taapsee Pannu, with whom you are doing Rashmi Rocket. What is it like to work with the new crop of actors?
The new generation of actors are extremely hard working. Taapsee has done an amazing job in Rashmi Rocket. Youngsters today are much more focused, determined, and therefore ready to take challenges and experiment with their characters. It’s fun to work with them. The earlier actors were mostly stuck in a genre but youngsters are now trying to break that stereotype.
You have a vast body of work in roles - comic, serious, even outright villainous. Which of these do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy playing all characters as I love acting, I enjoy doing any genre of films. Kahi bhi acting karwalo, mein ready hoon. The more varied the genre, the better it is for me as an actor.
Most people believe television's best days were the 80s. As someone with a TV career graph spanning three decades, what are your views on the issue?
Television was such a great medium that used to entertain us. For me, entertainment is not just laughter or sadness, but reaching out to people with every kind of emotion. I thought television would help in doing that. But it got messed up. We didn’t know how to handle it. It came down to a point where we were stuck in telling outdated stories. The audience laps up whatever you give them.