‘Threw My Clothes Outside The House’

Veteran actress Usha Nadkarni, who recently participated in Celebrity MasterChef at the age of 79, is known for her role in popular shows like Pavitra Rishta. In a recent interview, she shared a memorable incident from her childhood when her father scolded her for attending a Ganpati celebration hosted at Lata Mangeshkar’s residence in Mumbai.

During a podcast with Bharti Singh and Harsh Limbachiyaa, Usha recalled her childhood memories, mentioning that Lata Mangeshkar was her neighbor. As quoted by Times Now, Pavitra Rishta fame, Usha Nadkarni, mentioned how excited she was to join the Ganpati celebration at Mangeshkar’s house “I was always fond of dancing and acting. I did my first dance performance when I was in 4th standard. My father was very strict. We used to stay at Nana Chowk, Grant Road. Lata Mangeshkar was our neighbour. She would celebrate the Ganpati Festival on a grand scale. I had once gone to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in her lane, my father got angry. He came and thrashed me badly.”

She also shared “My mother was against me working in the entertainment industry. She had some preconceived notions about showbiz. One day she threw my clothes outside the house and asked me to leave. I left and went to stay at my friend’s house. My father and siblings came to pick me up, but I refused. Eventually, I went back home after 7 days. A few years later, when I started getting recognition and prizes, my mother realised that I was not doing anything wrong. My mother passed away in 1983. I am happy that I made her proud.”

Usha Nadkarni has worked in over 20 films and 15 TV series in Hindi and Marathi languages. She became a household name in 2009 with her role as ‘Savita Deshmukh’ in Pavitra Rishta on Zee TV. Her performance was loved by many, and she even won the Zee Gold Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role (Female).