# Supriya Pathak (सुप्रिया पाठक)
**Supriya Pathak** (सुप्रिया पाठक; born 1961 in Bombay, Maharashtra) is an Indian actress of stage, film, and television who works in Hindi and Gujarati media, known for the early-1980s films *Kalyug* and *Bazaar*, the comic television role of Hansa Parekh in *Khichdi*, and Dhankor Baa in *Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela* (2013)[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak) • [2](https://www.bbc.com/hindi/articles/cgk38kpp3jxo). The Library of Congress authorizes her name form as "Kapur, Supriya Pathak, 1961-", citing the cast credits of the 2007 film *Dharm* for "Supriya Pathak Kapur" and an IMDb record giving her birth date as 1961 in India[3](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2010166041.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1961, Bombay, Maharashtra, to actress Dina Pathak and dressmaker Baldev Pathak[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak) • [4](https://www.filmfare.com/features/pankaj-brought-therav-in-my-life-6557.html) |
| Film debut | Subhadra in Shyam Benegal's *Kalyug* (1981), a modern take on the Mahabharata, cast on Jennifer Kapoor's recommendation[5](https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/radio-and-tv/My-First-Break-Supriya-Pathak/article16047343.ece) |
| Household-name role | Hansa Parekh in the television comedy *Khichdi* (2002), which BBC Hindi credits with giving Indian television a new comic style[2](https://www.bbc.com/hindi/articles/cgk38kpp3jxo) |
| Career break | Paused acting after marriage to Pankaj Kapur; returned after an 11-year sabbatical in *Sarkar* (2005)[5](https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/radio-and-tv/My-First-Break-Supriya-Pathak/article16047343.ece) • [1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak) |
| Watershed role | Dhankor Baa in *Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela* (2013), described as the watershed of her career[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak) |
| Awards | Three Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actress (*Kalyug*, *Bazaar*, *Ram-Leela*) and an Indian Telly Award for Best Actress in a Comic Role for *Khichdi*[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0665554/) |
| Family | Married to Pankaj Kapur; children Sanah Kapur and Ruhaan Kapur; stepson Shahid Kapoor[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak) • [4](https://www.filmfare.com/features/pankaj-brought-therav-in-my-life-6557.html) |
## Early life and training
Pathak was born in 1961 in Bombay to the Gujarati actress [Dina Pathak](https://www.edgepedia.org/dina-pathak) and the dressmaker Baldev Pathak, who dressed stars such as [Rajesh Khanna](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajesh-khanna) and [Dilip Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/dilip-kumar)[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak) • [4](https://www.filmfare.com/features/pankaj-brought-therav-in-my-life-6557.html). She grew up in Parsi Colony in Dadar and earned a bachelor's degree in dance, training in Bharatanatyam at the Nalanda Dance Research Centre of the University of Mumbai[4](https://www.filmfare.com/features/pankaj-brought-therav-in-my-life-6557.html).
Her entry into acting ran through her mother's theater. Her father's death prompted her to begin acting in theater, starting with her mother's revival of the play *Maina Gurjari*[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak).
## Breakthrough and 1980s film career
While acting in Dinesh Thakur's play *Biwiyon Ka Madersa* at [Prithvi Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/prithvi-theatre), she was spotted by Jennifer Kendall, wife of [Shashi Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/shashi-kapoor), who recommended her to [Shyam Benegal](https://www.edgepedia.org/shyam-benegal); she was signed to play Subhadra in *Kalyug* (1981), Benegal's adaptation of the Mahabharata[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak). In her own account, Jennifer Kapoor saw her performance and advised her to meet Shashi Kapoor, who was casting for the film, in which she was cast opposite Anant Nag[5](https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/radio-and-tv/My-First-Break-Supriya-Pathak/article16047343.ece). India Today frames the debut as a risky choice of a supporting role[7](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/supriya-pathak-the-girl-next-doors-journey-to-stardom-234477-2015-01-07).
The early 1980s brought a run of acclaimed films: *Vijeta* (1982), *Bazaar* (1982), *[Masoom](https://www.edgepedia.org/masoom-1983-film)* (1983), and *Mirch Masala* (1985)[7](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/supriya-pathak-the-girl-next-doors-journey-to-stardom-234477-2015-01-07) • [1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak). Her filmography from the decade also includes *Gandhi* (1982) and *Raakh* (1989)[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak). In *Bazaar*, though a second lead in only her second film, she was filmed in the film's finest songs, "Dikhayi diye yun", "Phir chiddhi raat", and "Dekh lo aaj humko jee bhar ke"[4](https://www.filmfare.com/features/pankaj-brought-therav-in-my-life-6557.html). She also worked outside [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema): the French film *The Bengali Night* (1988), the Malayalam film *Akalathe Ambili* (1985), and later the Gujarati film *Carry On Kesar* (2016)[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak).
## Marriage, hiatus, and return
She married the actor-director [Pankaj Kapur](https://www.edgepedia.org/pankaj-kapur); IMDb records the marriage in 1986, while Filmfare's interview with her prints 1988, and the two dates stand unresolved between the sources[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0665554/) • [4](https://www.filmfare.com/features/pankaj-brought-therav-in-my-life-6557.html). She went into the marriage knowing Kapur already had a son, Shahid, who was six at the time; her daughter Sanah (Sana) was born in 1990, and she also has a son, Ruhaan[4](https://www.filmfare.com/features/pankaj-brought-therav-in-my-life-6557.html).
She decided to give some years to the family, and by the time she chose to return she had put on weight, which limited the offers she received[5](https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/radio-and-tv/My-First-Break-Supriya-Pathak/article16047343.ece). She returned to the big screen after an 11-year sabbatical in [Ram Gopal Varma](https://www.edgepedia.org/ram-gopal-varma)'s *Sarkar* (2005), followed by *Sarkar Raj* (2008) and *Wake Up Sid* (2009)[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak). In 1994 she and Kapur had launched their own television production house, Grass Company, whose first serial, *Mohandas B.A.L.L.B*, they both produced and acted in[4](https://www.filmfare.com/features/pankaj-brought-therav-in-my-life-6557.html). (Cinemaazi prints the founding year as 1944, an apparent typographical error for 1994[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak).)
## Television: Hansa Parekh and comic stardom
In 2002 she took the offer to play Hansa in *Khichdi*, a role that let her test her comic side[5](https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/radio-and-tv/My-First-Break-Supriya-Pathak/article16047343.ece). BBC Hindi identifies Hansa Parekh as the character that made her a favorite of viewers across every age group, and credits the show with giving the Indian television industry a new comic style[2](https://www.bbc.com/hindi/articles/cgk38kpp3jxo). She won the Indian Telly Award for Best Actress in a Comic Role for the part[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0665554/).
Her television career also includes *Idhar Udhar*, *Baa Bahoo Aur Baby*, *Naya Office Office*, *Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah*, and *Chhanchhan*; Filmfare notes she earned cult status as Hansaben in *Khichdi* and as Gunvanti Mami in *Baa Bahu Aur Baby*[4](https://www.filmfare.com/features/pankaj-brought-therav-in-my-life-6557.html). Cinemaazi adds *Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka* to the list[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak).
## Ram-Leela and later reinvention
For [Sanjay Leela Bhansali](https://www.edgepedia.org/sanjay-leela-bhansali)'s *Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela* (2013), Bhansali cast her as Dhankor; when she asked why, he replied, "The evil spark in your eyes!"[4](https://www.filmfare.com/features/pankaj-brought-therav-in-my-life-6557.html). The role has been dubbed the watershed of her career[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak), and it brought her a [Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmfare-award-for-best-supporting-actress)[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak).
## Range across stage, film and television
[The Hindu](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hindu) characterizes her trajectory as a quiet transformation from the elegant Shabnam in *Bazaar* to the hilarious Hansa in *Khichdi*, and from the quiet Sarita in *Wake Up Sid!* to the egoistic Dhankor Baa in *Ram Leela*, calling these women of substance[8](https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/supriya-pathak-a-quiet-crusader/article29725029.ece). In a 2019 interview she summarized the through-line herself: "I got an opportunity to play all kinds of women – that has been the satisfying aspect of my career"[8](https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/supriya-pathak-a-quiet-crusader/article29725029.ece).
## Awards and recognition
Cinemaazi credits her with three Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actress, including for *Kalyug* (1981) and *Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela* (2013)[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak); the third corresponds to *Bazaar* (1982), for which she said the award was more satisfying than the one for *Kalyug*, though she won for both[5](https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/radio-and-tv/My-First-Break-Supriya-Pathak/article16047343.ece). IMDb's narrative text mentions two [Filmfare Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmfare-awards) in the early 1980s before separately noting the 2013 win, a discrepancy with the three-award count given by Cinemaazi[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0665554/). She also holds the Indian Telly Award for Best Actress in a Comic Role for *Khichdi*[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0665554/), and the user-editable database TMDB additionally lists a Filmfare OTT Award among her honors[9](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/86892-supriya-pathak).
## The Kapur–Pathak acting family
Pathak sits at the center of an acting family on both sides. Her mother, Dina Pathak, was an actress; her husband, Pankaj Kapur, is an actor-director; her stepson is [Shahid Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/shahid-kapoor); and her children are Sanah Kapur and Ruhaan Kapur[1](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak) • [4](https://www.filmfare.com/features/pankaj-brought-therav-in-my-life-6557.html). The Library of Congress authority record gives her the authorized heading "Kapur, Supriya Pathak, 1961-"[3](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2010166041.html).
## References
1. [Supriya Pathak – Artists, Cinemaazi](https://www.cinemaazi.com/people/supriya-pathak)
2. ['बाज़ार' फ़िल्म के बाद किससे डर गई थीं सुप्रिया पाठक – BBC News हिंदी](https://www.bbc.com/hindi/articles/cgk38kpp3jxo)
3. [Kapur, Supriya Pathak, 1961- – Library of Congress Name Authority Record](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2010166041.html)
4. ["Pankaj brought therav in my life" – Filmfare](https://www.filmfare.com/features/pankaj-brought-therav-in-my-life-6557.html)
5. [My First Break: Supriya Pathak – The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/radio-and-tv/My-First-Break-Supriya-Pathak/article16047343.ece)
6. [Supriya Pathak – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0665554/)
7. [Birthday Special: Supriya Pathak, the girl next door's journey to stardom – India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/supriya-pathak-the-girl-next-doors-journey-to-stardom-234477-2015-01-07)
8. [Supriya Pathak: A quiet crusader – The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/supriya-pathak-a-quiet-crusader/article29725029.ece)
9. [Supriya Pathak – The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/86892-supriya-pathak)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Hindi film actors, 1970s–1980s › Surnames M to W*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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