Naseeruddin Shah Admits Being a Drug Addict, Talks About His ‘Ill-Temper’ And Marriage

Actor Naseeruddin Shah talks about being a drug-addict in the past and how they led to problems in building relationships including his marriage which was initially opposed by Ratna Pathak Shah’s parents.

Naseeruddin Shah on being a drug addict: Actor Naseeruddin Shah never minces his words in describing his life, choices, relationships, and decisions at work. The actor, in his latest interview, talked about his marriage and how he ended up being with Ratna Pathak Shah despite all the opposition from her parents. Shah, who is known for calling spade a spade, revealed that one of the major reasons his wife’s parents objected to their marriage was his drug addiction.

The actor was speaking to Humans of Bombay when he revealed that he and Ratna were ‘practically living together’ before marriage so when she moved in, it wasn’t anything extraordinary. Shah said, “Her parents were against it because I was married before and I was a drug addict. I was an ill-tempered man and all that sort of thing. But, she didn’t pay heed to any of that.”

It Was a Love at First Sight for Naseeruddin Shah

The veteran actor added that it was love at first sight for him because the moment he set his eyes on Ratna, he knew he wanted to know her more. Shah said, “I just took to her the moment I saw her. I had already done my first film while I was still in the film institute. We were introduced because she was acting in a play that Satyadev Dubey was directing. I just felt I’d like to know this person.”

The actor went on to say that he feels his wife always deserved a better man than him because he always had so much going on. He called Ratna the biggest ‘blessing’ in his life. “Ratna was a blessing for me. In hindsight, she probably deserved better,” he said. Shah also said that they have had a successful marriage where they continue to discover new things about each other every day.

Naseer and Ratna got married on April 1, 1982. The actor was earlier married to Manara Sikri with whom he has a daughter named Heeba. He has two sons from his second marriage with Ratna – Imaad and Vivaan Shah.