Veteran actress Usha Nadkarni, best known to television audiences as the beloved mother-in-law in Pavitra Rishta, says she has no plans to slow down — and at 80, she is still waking up at 5 am for shooting schedules and packing her own lunchbox. Speaking on the reality show Tum Ho Naa – Ghar Ki Superstar, Nadkarni offered a candid look at a career spanning more than six decades across films, television, theatre, and reality programming.

A career that began in the fourth grade

Nadkarni revealed that her relationship with acting predates any professional milestone. 'Main chauthi class mein thi tabhi acting kiya tha. Aaj meri 80 chal rahi hai, main abhi bhi kaam kar rahi hoon,' she said — meaning she began performing as early as Class 4 and has never truly stopped. The desire to act, she recalled, was instinctive from childhood, even as her mother — a schoolteacher — disapproved, wary of the social commentary that trailed middle-class families whose children entered the entertainment world.

Ignoring the critics, trusting the craft

Nadkarni said she made peace early with unsolicited opinions. Her philosophy, stated plainly: 'Apne ko jo karna hai na woh karna hai' — do what you truly want to do. She was emphatic that pursuing acting was not a source of shame for her family, and that this conviction freed her to build a career on her own terms. The actress added that she has never begged for work: 'Industry mein ek toh tumhara kaam achha hoga toh hi kaam milega. Woh bhi guarantee nahi hai. Aur mujhe woh bheekh maangne ki aadat bhi nahi.' (You get work only if your work is good — and even that is no guarantee. I am not someone accustomed to seeking opportunities by asking.)

Discipline, routine, and living alone

On days with a shoot, Nadkarni rises at 5 am, prepares her own meals — vegetables, rotis, rice, dal, and buttermilk — and carries a home-cooked lunchbox to set. She described her life as a steady rhythm of 'ghar, kaam, ghar, kaam' (home, work, home, work), and credited habit as the engine that keeps her going. Living independently, she admitted, once unsettled her — she used to ask her building's watchman to accompany her upstairs and stand by until she unlocked the door. That anxiety has since dissolved entirely into routine.

The philosophy she lives by

Perhaps the sharpest line of the conversation came when Nadkarni was asked who stands beside her. Her answer was unambiguous: 'Usha ke liye khade hone ki zarurat nahi hai. Usha, Usha ke liye khadi hai.' (There is no need for anyone to stand up for Usha. Usha stands up for herself.) It is a statement that doubles as a summary of how she has navigated more than six decades in a notoriously uncertain industry.

A filmography that spans generations

Usha Nadkarni has appeared in films including Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hai, Rustom, Bhoothnath Returns, Great Grand Masti, and the critically acclaimed Marathi film Deool. On television, she earned wide recognition playing the on-screen mother-in-law of Ankita Lokhande's character Archana and the on-screen mother of the late Sushant Singh Rajput's character Manav in Pavitra Rishta. At 80, with a reality show appearance now added to that list, Nadkarni shows no indication of treating any of it as a farewell.