Veteran actor Supriya Pathak’s performance as the lovable yet hilariously clueless Hansa in the cult sitcom ‘Khichdi’ remains one of the most iconic comic portrayals on Indian television. While the character brought immense popularity and laughter to audiences, her daughter Sanah Kapur recently revealed that the show’s fame had an unexpected impact on her childhood.In a candid conversation with Bollywood Bubble, the mother-daughter duo reflected on the journey of ‘Khichdi’, how Supriya returned to acting after a break, and the amusing yet frustrating experiences Sanah had at school because of her mother’s on-screen persona.
Why Supriya Pathak initially stepped away from acting
Speaking about the phase before ‘Khichdi’ came into her life, Supriya Pathak revealed that she had deliberately taken time off from acting when Sanah was about to be born.She said, “Actually, kya hua tha, bada ajeeb mere saath hua tha. Maine bahut kaam kiya, phir jab Sanah aane wali thi, toh maine socha ki I want to take time off. Toh maine decide kiya ki main kaam nahi karna chahti.” (Something unusual happened in my career. I had been working a lot, but when Sanah was about to be born, I felt I wanted to take a break. So I decided not to work for some time.)During the conversation, Sanah jokingly interrupted, saying, “It’s my fault.” To which Supriya immediately responded, “No, no, it’s not.” The light-hearted exchange continued as Sanah quipped, “As always, mothers blame daughters for everything.”Supriya quickly clarified that it was never about blame. “No, I’m not blaming you. You did the right thing. You came into my life, which is a great, good thing.” The veteran actor explained that although she had paused mainstream acting, she remained creatively active during that time.“Anyway, toh basically maine ek time liya tha jab main kaam nahi karna chahti thi. Tabhi humne ‘Mohandas B.A. LLB’ shuru kiya. Humne apni ek company shuru ki. Uske baad humne ‘Drishtant’ karke ek show kiya. Toh hum kaam toh kar rahe the, lekin apni company mein, in-house.” (Basically, I took a break from acting. During that period, we started ‘Mohandas B.A. LLB’ and even launched our own company. Later, we did a show called ‘Drishtant’. So we were still working, but within our own production house.)
How ‘Khichdi’ became her comeback project
Supriya Pathak shared that once she felt ready to work outside again, the offer for ‘Khichdi’ came her way. “Toh basically tab mujhe ‘Khichdi’ offer hui. Bahut time ke baad main kahin bahar kaam karne ja rahi thi, toh main bahut sincerely kuch accha karna chahti thi.”(That’s when I was offered ‘Khichdi’. Since I was returning to outside work after a long time, I genuinely wanted to do something good.)She also mentioned that she already had a long-standing equation with the show’s creators, JD Majethia and Aatish Kapadia, which made her comfortable saying yes to the project. “Aur JD aur Atish ko main bahut pehle se jaanti thi… toh jab unhone offer kiya, maine haan keh diya.” (I had known JD and Atish for a long time, so when they offered the role, I agreed.)Talking about Hansa, Supriya said the character’s simplicity and uniqueness made it special. “Matlab ek aisi aurat jo kuch nahi karti hai, aur phir bhi usse hum sabne itna pyaar kiya, including me.” (Translation: It’s about a woman who does practically nothing, yet everyone loves her, including me.)She added that the role subtly challenged expectations placed on women. “Ki mujhe nahi karna hai, mujhe tayyar hona hai… yeh bhi allowed hai ek aurat ko.” (A woman can simply say she doesn’t want to do everything and just wants to get ready and enjoy life. That should be allowed too.)
Sanah Kapur says ‘Khichdi’ ‘tortured’ her during childhood
While the sitcom became immensely popular, Sanah Kapur admitted that its fame made her school days slightly difficult. She recalled, “Khichdi ne actually mujhe bahut torture kiya hai, sach mein. Uske dialogues ne mujhe bachpan mein kaafi torture kiya hai.” (‘Khichdi’ actually tortured me a lot, honestly. The dialogues from the show really troubled me when I was a child.)Sanah explained that her classmates often teased her because they associated her mother with Hansa’s quirky personality.“Kyuki school mein bachche bade ajeeb hote hain… mere friends mere liye bad feel karte the ki ‘tumhari mom toh Hansa hai, woh kuch khana nahi banati, kuch nahi karti.”(Kids in school can be strange. Some of my friends would feel sorry for me and say, ‘Your mom is Hansa, she doesn’t cook or do anything.’)This often frustrated her because her real-life mother was the complete opposite of the character. “Main bahut irritate ho jaati thi, kyunki meri mom actually itni perfect hai.” (I used to get very irritated because my mom is actually extremely perfect.)Sanah went on to describe how dedicated Supriya Pathak was as a parent despite her demanding acting career. “Unhone sab kiya hai. Subah uthkar mera har dabba Mom ne cook karke bheja hai.” (She has done everything. Every morning she would wake up and cook my lunchbox herself.) She further added, “Subah uthkar woh khana banati thi, phir shooting karti thi, phir wapas aake mujhe pick up karti thi, homework karwati thi.” (She would cook in the morning, go for her shoot, return to pick me up from school, and help me with homework.)Sanah also laughed about how famous dialogues from ‘Khichdi’ followed her everywhere. “Jaise ‘Loha kha ke jaana’… bahut log Mom se woh dialogue baar-baar bolte the.”(For example, the line ‘Loha kha ke jaana’, people kept repeating it to my mom all the time.)
Supriya Pathak’s favourite Hansa dialogue
Even years after the show first aired, Supriya Pathak still fondly remembers Hansa’s lines. When asked about her favourite dialogue from the sitcom, she shared one that fans instantly recognise. “Aur ab toh main bas yeh keh sakti hoon, ‘Main toh thak gayi, bhai saab… main toh thak gayi.’”(Now all I can say is, ‘I’m tired, brother… I’m really tired.’) Over the years, ‘Khichdi’ has maintained its cult following, and Hansa continues to be one of the most beloved comic characters on Indian television. For Sanah Kapur, however, the show will always remain tied to some funny and slightly embarrassing childhood memories.
