Mesmerised by her act in Raid, Kajol expressed a desire to take Pushpa Joshi, 85, home. Bollywood’s oldest debutant agrees
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; March 25, 2018)

After seeing Raid, Kajol wanted to take her home. Pushpa Joshi, who plays Saurabh Shukla’s indefatigable Amma in the Ajay Devgn-starrer, has become an overnight sensation. The toothless grey-haired granny has wowed the audience and critics with her loveable act.

At 85, she is probably the oldest debutant in Bollywood. “I am ready to go to Kajol’s home,” she laughs aloud. At an age when most of her contemporaries have slowed down or are battling age- related issues, Joshi is raring to go. “You can say I am a late bloomer,” she chuckles.

She’s alert, ready to answer any question and does not mince words. “I know there are not many roles for me, but nowadays, a lot of scripts are being written with meaningful parts for the oldies.” Theatre and music are an intrinsic part of the Joshi family. Her son Ravindra was a theatre actor, while grandson Aabhas has been a contestant on music reality shows like Voice Of India and Music Ka Maha Muqqabla. He has also anchored Chote Ustad. Along with brother, Shreyas, he has formed a band called Indie Routes. “Amma acted a bit in theatre during her younger days but after she featured in the short film Zaayka, she got noticed and got a casting call for Raid,” informs Ravindra.

Though originally from Jabalpur, Joshi is now based in Mumbai. “Since we shot in Lucknow with several local theatre actors, people think that I am from UP. But I live in Vikhroli,” she points out.

On the sets of Raid, while everyone one else would be busy applying make-up and dolling up, Joshi would be ready in a jiffy. “Old people do not apply make-up, so I had to wear my sari, comb my hair, wear beads around my neck and plonk myself.”

Matching histrionics with Shukla meant she used to rehearse her lines in advance. “It was fun to work with him. Shooting the jalebi scene, when he stuffs it in my mouth, was especially interesting.”

Adds director Raj Kumar Gupta, “She is a bundle of energy. I was flabbergasted by her enthusiasm. She is such a witty and lively person, exuding positivity all the time. She’s a brilliant actor too.”

Joshi is looking forward to display her acting chops in her next assignments. She doesn’t believe in retirement. “Till you are alive, you have to keep going.”


Pushpa Joshi with grandsons Shreyas and Aabhas

BOMBAY TIMES (March 5, 2018)

It’s never too late to make a debut in the field of acting. Take the case of 85-year-old Lucknow denizen Pushpa Joshi. The newcomer will be seen playing Saurabh Shukla’s mother in the Ajay Devgn-starrer Raid. Ajay went out of his way to make his co-star comfortable on the set. He was particular about their shooting schedules together and would even ensure that her scenes were shot on priority. She was seldom made to wait for her scenes. The rest of the cast replicated the actor’s gesture towards her.

Director Raj Kumar Gupta, who has helmed Raid, says, “Pushpa Joshi was a darling. She is so charming and graceful that everyone wanted to be around her. She has a great sense of humour. I was pleasantly surprised by her professionalism, especially at that age. She was thorough with her lines and was energetic throughout. For me, she exemplifies the fact that if you really aspire, age is just a number. It was an absolute pleasure working with her.”

Raid, presented by Gulshan Kumar and T-Series, a Panorama Studios Production backed by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak, releases on March 16.