Jun 14, 2025 12:24 PM IST

In our Father’s Day particular collection, Pratibha Ranta and her dad Rajesh Ranta speak about their unstated bond and the way he nudged her in the direction of a profession in movies

Coming from Shimla and raised in a household of farmers, Pratibha Ranta has had an humble upbringing, and in our Father’s Day particular collection, she says that her father Rajesh Ranta instilled that humility in her in each side of life. “My father has been the biggest inspiration in my life. I have seen him work very hard to earn a good living for us. To give us a good lifestyle, my parents sacrificed a lot, including leaving us with our grandparents so that he could earn for us, and I feel so grateful for it,” the actor says.

Pratibha Ranta along with her father Rajesh Ranta

Pratibha Ranta, who received widespread acclaim after her work in Laapataa Ladies, additionally credit her father for inculcating the love for movies in her. “He loves watching movies and today, if I am in this industry, it’s all because of my papa. He used to bring CDs for us at home and that inspired me a lot to venture into this world,” she says, as her father provides: “I have seen her passion for performing since she was a child as she was so into dancing since she was two-year-old.”

Describing their bond, Rajesh says, “Our relationship is such that main uske bola bina hi uski mann ki baat samajh jata hun.” As she agrees to it, Pratibha says, “He has always pampered me. Main bachpan mein bahut zidd karti thi but he would make sure all my wishes were met. My father also loves photography a lot and I was always his muse. He has documented my whole childhood. But now, I feel parenty towards my parents. I want to give them everything, so the roles have somewhat reversed.”

The proud father shares that the movie trade appeared a far-fetched world within the background they lived in, however Pratibha’s success modified his perspective. “While I was worried when she moved to Mumbai to follow her passion, the day she got her first lead role in a TV show, I felt so proud. The things which we couldn’t have even dreamed of, she achieved that,” he says, as Pratibha provides that she may observe her ardour as a result of he taught her learn how to be unbiased from a really younger age. “He gave me an independent upbringing, teaching me how to survive on my own. But I have always known that if I am ever in a difficult situation, he will be there to save me.”

Proud of her daughter’s success, Rajesh says, “Pura Himachal Pratibha ki kamyaabi pe garv kar raha hai, aur usse badi mere liye garv ki koi baat nahi hai.” However, the actor feels happier being thought-about her father’s daughter. “It feels very nice when people complement me in front of him, but I love that I am known by my father’s name. That is my biggest achievement as the people close to me always call me ‘Rajesh ki beti’.”