Pratibha Ranta: On Beauty, Bollywood and the Joy in Keeping it Simple

Ranta was the first person from her family to ever step foot out of Shimla, a big step, pun intended, for a then 18-year-old. "Even now if my mother is planning to come to Bombay she has to plan in advance, she can't do it overnight," she says. "Growing up in a very small town, we don't hear good things about the industry. We mostly hear negative aspects about the compromises you have to make, and that only nepo kids receive big opportunities. I just had some confidence that I'll be able to do it, that this is my calling. And even if I came here and didn't manage to do anything, at least I won't blame myself that I never gave myself the chance." The fact that Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao decided to bet on her was life handing her the golden ticket. "They [Khan and Rao] believe a lot in talent. They don't see where you come from. So the moment they see that you're talented, there is an exchange of respect that happens. I felt that and it gave me a lot of confidence. And when I told them my story about moving from Shimla to Bombay for my dream, it related to the character and they were able to see Jaya in me."

She manifested winning an award for her debut film but not without adding value. "When you want to bring any kind of change, it's very important to start a conversation. I think films [like Laapataa Ladies] can do that. This was something that I had manifested long ago, that when I debut, it should be so good that I bring home an award and make an impact."

Her character Jaya comes across as a typically strong woman compared to the naive and sensitive co-lead, Phool. Just like in the movie, in the real world, someone like Phool would be seen as the weaker woman, a direct correlation to her being sensitive. When I quizzed Ranta on which personality trait she relates to more, her response left me pleasantly surprised. "People see being sensitive as a very difficult trait because they don't know how to deal with it, and that's mostly men. I've never heard a woman telling me that I'm too sensitive. Just because someone can't understand the emotion I am going through doesn't mean that I need to change. They need to learn how to treat people and communicate emotions, maybe even go to therapy. If you want to be a good human being, you have to be sensitive. You have to be thick skinned to deal with difficult situations, but that doesn't mean that you become a difficult person."

However, Ranta considers sensitivity to be her strength and this applies to her professional life as well. "I think if you want to be a star, then you need to have thick skin, but if you want to be an actor, you have to be sensitive. If I am able to emote a certain thing it is because I'm able to sense, feel and empathise with a certain situation which is very important. You can't act otherwise. If you can't put yourself in someone else's shoes then what will you emote? Being an artist, I feel this is a gift to me. There's beauty in being sensitive."

I didn't expect to find as many commonalities with Ranta as I did. What could a tail-end millennial beauty editor really have in common with a 2000 born actor? Considering that I was mentally nodding my head multiple times through our chat, thinking "Oh my God, same!", proved otherwise. We're both Sagittarians, extremely optimistic and hopeful, fond of giving and receiving positive energy, big believers in the Universe and in everything happening for a solid reason, and both fans of skincare by Simple. "Back in Shimla, Simple is a brand that all my friends used as well. It's affordable and the name itself brings in so much of clarification that you know this won't mess up my skin. In fact, I used to use the Simple face wash back home as well. And all my friends also follow the less is more philosophy so Simple becomes a great option to go for."

When it comes to skincare, Ranta has always believed in using less but the right things, another nod to the learnings from the women in her family. However, like a lot of us, she has also gone down the rabbit hole of trying one too many products, and realising that her dermatologist knows best. "There was a time in my life where I was actually figuring out what skincare I wanted to use. So I ended up using a lot of things which didn't work well for me. The more you do, you get stuck in a circle of constantly doing something or the other. So now, my skincare routine is very simple. A face wash with salicylic acid, Vitamin C serum, moisturiser and sunscreen." Her go-to for clean pores? A sauna. "Saunas are very important for me because I use so much makeup that I need the steam to enlarge my pores. Then I scrub my face and ice it [to minimise them]. I make sure I do this once a month."

Sun protection has always been Pratibha Ranta's top priority. "Sunscreen is something that I like applying and reapplying it over my makeup as well. My skin is prone to freckles as well so suncare is very important for me. My key requirements for a sunscreen are that it's SPF 50, broad spectrum protection, lightweight, and shouldn't trigger acne because I've used some sunscreens in the past that have triggered a lot of it." This is precisely why she's found a winner in the new Simple Hydrating UV Fluid SPF 50 PA++++. Specifically designed as a simple sunscreen for sensitive skin, it checks every box for her. "It felt very hydrating even after having it on for 12 hours!," she gushes.

She tells me that she's completely disconnected from Gen Z beauty trends, and the only real beauty influencers in her life are her mother and grandmother. "A beauty tip that my friend uses might not work for me because it may not suit my skin. But I'm sure about what my grandmother uses — it's very psychological. I love having ghee and it doesn't trigger acne because I've grown up eating it. My dadi would use glycerine and rose water before sleeping and the malai from raw milk as a scrub. As a 3-4 year old, I would see her watching TV and applying this face scrub and I picked it up. It works very well for me."

Using homemade skincare blends has been a big part of her childhood and teenage years and she let us in on some of her favourite recipes. "I make scrubs and masks at home. For one you mix coffee, a little castor oil, Vitamin E and sugar and use it to scrub dead skin from your lips and on your body. I also love making an orange peel mask for its Vitamin C benefits with ground peel, honey, coconut milk, white flour and turmeric." A pro tip she swears by for soft lips? Applying ghee or mustard oil in her navel the night prior.

Another commonality I noticed during our chat was that neither of us wore any makeup or dressed up a lot, which immediately set a relaxed tone. On the days she does wear makeup outside of work, it's as minimal as it can get. "I avoid wearing a lot of makeup. I use so much of it on set that if I have a day off I'd rather not. I have a very light foundation that I apply with my fingers (as recommended by her makeup artist) only because it gives me a confidence boost. I love using blush and applying a lot of it, then a tinted lip balm or gloss and mascara, that's it."

Now that Ranta's come into her own in Mumbai and found her people, she's constantly opening her home and heart to others from her hometown who are attempting to do the same. "I'm very grateful that Bombay has accepted me with so much beauty. God has given me the opportunity where I can help others, so why not? I always feel that if you can help somebody, you should, because that's how you contribute to the world and to becoming a better human being." May the Universe always be in her corner.