‘Retirement? Hello, I don’t even know that word’
She has been a part of the film and television industry for the past 40 years, entertaining people in different avatars on screen. Actor Surekha Sikri, being loved for her portrayal as a nagging grandma in Badhaai Ho, has no plans to slow down, and says that she has no desire to retire either.
“Retirement? Hello, I don’t even know that word. What does it mean?” asks Surekha, 73, with a chuckle. “That’s a very old-fashioned English concept... That you do something and then you retire — and mostly, it applies to government servants. Fortunately, I’m a freelancer and I don’t have any wish or desire to retire. I can just go on and on,” adds the veteran, who is basking in the appreciation coming from all quarters for her work in Badhaai Ho.
Surekha made her debut in 1978 with the political drama Kissa Kursi Ka, and created a name for herself by working in films, theatre and television. Since then, she has worked in Tamas (1988), Mammo (1994), Sarfarosh (1999), Zubeidaa (2001), Jo Bole So Nihaal (2005) and Humko Deewana Kar Gaye (2006). For the small screen audience, Surekha is still known as Dadisa from Balika Vadhu. She has also featured in a number of other shows.
Looking back at the time when she entered the industry and comparing it with the present, the National Awardwinning actor says, “Things are more out in the open. People are ready to talk about it. Earlier, it was all prettypretty and ‘follow the formula’ if we talked about Bollywood. On TV, I had a fairly decent share in the older times. It has become more regressive now. But in the film industry, things are now looking up.”
She adds, “I often say that I should’ve been born 40-50 years later, looking at the scene right now. But anyway, there are many roles for people like me.
“The whole thing has changed. [Earlier] you could never think of having a full movie with older characters like Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor in 102 Not Out...
“I think there are far more chances for people like me, who belong to a certain category, image wise.”