Veteran actor Usha Nadkarni, who is best known for her work in the daily soap Pavitra Rishta, has been acting for almost 70 years now, and through her long career, Usha has played all kinds of roles in Hindi and Marathi serials and films. Usha’s career was built on her terms, but there were times when she took up acting work only for the money, even when she did not feel like she was getting the respect that she deserved. At 80, Usha lives alone in an apartment in Mumbai and manages her life and work, all by herself.
Usha’s son was raised by his mother
In a recent interview with Rajshri Marathi, Usha, who has always remained guarded about her husband, finally revealed that she separated from her husband a long time ago but harbours no ill will towards him or his family. In fact, there have been times when she has hosted dinners for the Nadkarni family. She has a son with her husband, who lives abroad now, but even back in the day, he would live with her mother, his maternal grandmother.
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In an earlier interview with Pinkvilla, Usha had shared that her son grew up at her brother’s house as he had a bigger house, and Usha was always busy working. As a result, Usha’s son was raised by her mother. “I would go visit him when I had the time. There was no set schedule. Marathi plays would occupy all my time, because there would be multiple performances in a single day,” she said and added with a poignant tone, “My son still tells me that I’ve only given birth to him. His real mother was my mother.”
Usha Nadkarni (L) and Reema Lagoo (R). (Photo: Express Archives)
Usha has been living alone since 1987
Because her son now lives in another country, and all her siblings have passed away, Usha is truly all by herself now. She revealed that she has been living alone for 40 years, since 1987. When asked if she ever feels lonely, Usha said, “I’m used to it. I’ve been living alone since 1987. I’m not scared at all. I used to be scared when I first moved into my building. I would ask the guard to accompany me to my door because I was afraid somebody would attack me from behind. But I’m not scared anymore.”
Usha has also been battling some questions about death and said that she often wonders if anyone would even find out about her death as she lives by herself. Despite these thoughts, she is not scared of what life might throw at her. “People can’t tell how they’ll die. Some people go in their sleep, some people die in the hospital. I’m not scared even one bit. If I die in my sleep, my neighbours would come knocking and think, ‘Buddhi ne darwaza nahi khola hai (The old lady didn’t open the door)’.”
Father was a ‘violent’ man, mother threw her out of the house
Usha had a difficult childhood as her father, who was an Air Force officer, would frequently beat her and her siblings, and her mother, who was a teacher. She once described her father as a “violent” man who once beat her brother until he was unconscious and attacked her with a ‘koita’ knife (machete).
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In a chat with Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa on their podcast, Usha recalled several incidents of physical abuse. She recalled that if he spotted that the newspaper wasn’t folded properly, he would lose his temper. And if he ever saw that the school books of the kids were not arranged neatly, he would tear them up. “If he found the newspaper to be crumpled or crooked in any way, he would lose his temper and tear it up. If he saw that our schoolbooks weren’t kept in neat rows, he would tear them up in anger. My mother would tell him that he’d only have to buy new ones, so he shouldn’t tear them,” she recalled.
Usha said that she and her siblings were “terrified” of their father and if they saw one of the siblings get beaten up, the others would run. “Once, my brother was being beaten up for some reason, and I tried to stop my father. He attacked me with a ‘koita’. You know, one of those knives with a curved edge? I got injured on my arm, and I had a play the next day. I went to perform with the injury,” she recalled.
Usha Nadkarni on Tum Ho Naa – Ghar Ki Superstar. (Photo: SonyLIV)
‘Do whatever you want’
Her father ruled with an iron fist so there was no way that Usha could open up about her dreams of becoming an actor; thus, she decided to tell her mother, who was also not welcoming of this idea. In fact, her mother threw her out of the house. She threw her all her belongings on the street and Usha left the house, and stayed with a friend for a week, until her father brought her back to their house.
During her appearance on Sony TV’s Tum Ho Naa – Ghar Ki Superstar, Usha spoke about her mother and said, “I always wanted to be an actor since my childhood. My mother didn’t approve. She was a teacher, and from her point of view, she was right. We were middle-class people. Our neighbours were very nosy and opinionated. I say, ‘To hell with those people. You should do whatever you want’. I first acted when I was in 4th standard; now I am 80, and I am still acting.”
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DISCLAIMER: This article features personal reflections on aging, living alone, and past personal hardships for narrative and informational purposes. The experiences shared represent individual perspectives and do not constitute professional advice or mental health guidance.
