Ritu Shivpuri is returning after a 13-year sabbatical in a film titled He-man
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 2, 2015)

Following in the footsteps of her parents, actors Om Shivpuri and Sudha Shivpuri, Ritu Shivpuri jumped into Bollywood at the age of 17 and caught our eye in films like Aar Ya Paar and Aankhen. But after the Karisma Kapoor starrer, Shakti: The Power, in 2002 she disappeared from the screen. The 13-year vanvas, which she took to focus on her twins, eight-year-olds Rohail and Samara, and husband Hari Venkat who at 36 was diagnosed with a tumor in his spine, will end soon. Ritu will make a comeback with the Puneet Issar's directorial, He-Man.

"I'm playing the protagonist's bhabhi. I can't reveal much but it's a great script which makes me believe it's the perfect film to return with. I want to do roles that make a difference and if I'm one of the central characters, I am happy doing it," says Ritu, who will wrap up her portions in one schedule.

After Aankhen, she found herself cast in the 'sexy' mould with comparisons being drawn to Parveen Babi and Zeenat Aman. "But I never looked into the mirror and thought I was hot, I'm not that vain," she laughs. "I can play a mother, sister, bhabhi or even a man if need be!"

She was earlier offered a negative role in a big banner film but later the makers felt that she looked too young for that role. "I don't want to be an accessory in a film but if a friend requested, I might do even that," she laughs.

Prod her on the tough times with an ailing husband and two young kids and she retorts, "I don't want to gain sympathy by appearing as a martyr. I married my best friend, we share everything. Those six years were bad but I'm a fighter and he's a cool guy. We got the tumour removed a couple of years ago."

Ritu recently lost her mother, Sudha Shivpuri, popularly known as Baa after playing the great grandmother in Ekta Kapoor's long-running TV show, Kyunki...Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She chokes up saying, "My mother was my backbone. Whoever has worked with her will tell you she had only love and happiness to give. She would speak fondly of her co-stars from Kyunki, like Smriti (Irani), Apara (Mehta), Shilpa (Saklani) and Kamalika (Guha)."

Meanwhile, her brother, Vineet, who was earlier assisting filmmaker Vipul Shah, will soon be directing his own film. "He is a brilliant boy and a wonderful brother," she gushes. "I hope things work out for him and me. I'm not one of those who will sit on the actor's lap or dance around him to get work. I rely on my talent."

MID-DAY (May 21, 2015)

Sudha Shivpuri, best remembered as Baa from Ekta Kapoor’s TV show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, passed away yesterday. She was 77. The matriarch of the show that premiered in 2000 and ran for almost a decade had her play the grand mother-in-law of Tulsi, essayed by Smriti Irani.

With the amount of leaps the show took, she was made to be the great, great, great grandmother on the soap. The veteran actress would often joke that her age in Kyunki… must be at least 200 if not more, considering the generations of the Virani household she saw in the show.

She had not been keeping well for the past two years and had suffered a heart attack in 2013. She breathed her last yesterday morning and the funeral was held at the Oshiwara crematorium in the afternoon. Sudha is survived by her son Vineet and actress-daughter Ritu Shivpuri.


Ritu Shivpuri


From left: Komolika Guha Thakurta, Shilpa Saklani and Tasneem Sheikh


Sumeet Sachdev


Deepak Qazir


Sushant Singh

Sudha Shivpuri, best-known as the Baa of Indian television, passed away on Wednesday morning
Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 21, 2015)

Sudha Shivpuri
14 July 1937 - 20 May 2015

"When she arrived on sets, the whole place would light up....," this is how Apara Mehta, who played Savita in Ekta Kapoor's long-running soap Kyunki... Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi..., remembers Sudha Shivpuri, the saas with whom she had a strained relationship in reel life, and as a family member once the camera stopped rolling. "I think she actually thought of me as her bahu. We would discuss everything from the maid not showing up to what was being cooked for dinner."

Baa, as Sudha came to be fondly known after Kyunki..., passed away on May 20 after a prolonged illness. She was 77. She is survived by her son Vineet and daughter Ritu who has acted in films like Aankhen and Elaan.

While Kyunki... made her a household name, Sudha's first stint with acting was in Basu Chatterjee's 1977 film Swami in which she played Shabana Azmi's mother. Before this she dabbled with theatre in Delhi, acting in several important plays, including Vijay Tendulkar's Khamosh! Court Jaari Hai. She moved to Mumbai after marrying Om Shivpuri, who she'd met while doing plays and who himself is remembered for films like Namak Haram Aandhi and Great Gambler. In Mumbai, Sudha went on to act in films like Insaaf Ka Tarazu and Sawan Ko Aane Do.

"She was a woman who celebrated life, her spirit was infectious," recalls Amar Upadhyay who played the first Mihir in Kyunki... "My second scene in the show was with her. When she cried on-screen the tears looked so genuine, it seemed like she was actually going through a crisis. Once when I asked her if there was any problem, she'd only laugh. She was just a fantastic actress."

Apara adds, "Seven year on one show... the memory will never fade away. She was the naughtiest amongst us girls, with a fondness for food. Her Kashmiri pulao was the envy of most industry caterers."

Apart from Kyunki..., Sudha also acted in other TV shows like Kasamh Se, Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil and more recently Maniben.com with her favourite Tulsi aka Smriti Irani, now Union HRD Minister who is currently in South Korea.

Sudha suffered a cerebral stroke in December 2013 which affected her lower brain and subsequently her basic motor skills. She couldn't talk much due to tracheotomy and quit acting completely. But for her colleagues she will remain unforgettable.

"Just like Smriti will always remain the first bahu and I'll be the first saas, Sudhajee will forever be remembered as Baa, the first grandmother of Indian television," says Apara. "May she rest in peace."

Sudha Shivpuri popularly known as Baa passed away this morning. A year back the actress was admit in the hospital for a stroke. The funeral will take place in Oshiwara Crematorium at 2:30pm today.

She started acting at a very young age to support her ailing mother. Sudha married popular actor Hari Shivpuri in his struggling days and together they started a theatre company. Mrs Shivpuri started her Bollywood career with Basu Chatterjee’s Swami (1977). She then was seen in films like Insaaf Ka Tarazu, Hamari Bahu Alka, Sawan Ko Aane Do, Sun Meri Laila, Burning Train, Vidhaataand Maya Memsaab.

After her husband passed away in 1990 due to a tumour in the spine, Sudha went back to acting in daily soaps. Some of the shows she did included Missing, Rishtey, Sarhadein and Bandhan, but her real big break came in 2000, when Ekta Kapoor offered her the role of Baa in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Thi.

Mushtaq Sheikh tweeted early morning, “Mrs Sudha Shivpuri (wife of Om Shivpuri) also popularly known as Baa in Kyun Ki passed away this morning. May her soul rest in peace. #RIP”

Sudha Shivpuri was survived by a daughter and son