For close to seven decades now, actor Usha Nadkarni has charmed her audiences through some memorable performances in Marathi and Hindi cinema, television as well as theater. While some people know her for her role of Savita Deshmukh in Pavitra Rishta, the real life of the actor has been dominated by tragedy, hard decisions, and tremendous resilience. At 80 years, she continues to lead her own life with as much poise as she has displayed for all those years.
Living alone has become a way of life
In a recent interview with Rajshri Marathi, Usha Nadkarni was quite open about her experience of being on her own in Mumbai. The actor stated that she has been living alone from 1987 onwards. Her son is now residing overseas while all her brothers and sisters have passed away.
Talking about whether loneliness ever gets to her, she 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.”
She further acknowledged that although the thought of death has come to her mind since she is living alone, it has never included any fear. She added, “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).’”
Her career came with a painful personal cost
Usha Nadkarni has frequently talked about the sacrifices involved in making a career in acting. She may have divorced her husband some years back, but she has never had any grudge against him or against his family. She actually invited the Nadkarni family to have dinner at her place quite often.
What proved most difficult for her, however, was that she could not be there during her son’s childhood. At the peak of her acting career in Marathi theatre, she would perform in plays almost every day and sometimes even in multiple plays in one day.
About Usha Nadkarni
Usha Nadkarni is a seasoned actor with almost seventy year career in the industry across movies, television and theatre. Apart from Pavitra Rishta, she continued her work in theatre and Marathi cinema. Besides acting, she has also taken part in various reality shows such as Bigg Boss Marathi in 2018, becoming one of the oldest contestants to participate in the show. She had also participated in 2025 Celebrity Masterchef, which was a cooking reality show.