ELLE Digital Cover Star: Pratibha Ranta — A Quiet Revolution, Set To A Fresh Beat

On set, the music is playing softly, Dirty Paws by Of Monsters and Men floats through the room, grounding yet playful, much like our digital cover star at its centre. There’s coffee within reach (always coffee for her), laughter between shots, and an unmistakable sense of ease. The vibe is undeniably fresh and unforced. Pratibha Ranta is the latest girl on everyone’s radar—one whose performance has stayed in the audience’s heart. 

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When Laapataa Ladies released in theatres, it arrived quietly. I watched it then, in a cinema that wasn’t quite full yet, and it was hard not to wonder how a film this assured, this emotionally precise, was slipping under the radar. Within weeks, the film began to travel, through word of mouth, through conversations, through the slow but steady realisation of what it was saying. At the heart of it was Ranta, who played Jaya Tripathi Singh, a performance marked by rare restraint, anchoring the film with quiet resolve. By the time it found its audience on Netflix, the filmwas everywhere, emerging as one of the platform’s biggest films of 2024, even amid the year’s loudest titles. Its resonance lay in its refusal to reduce rural India to a single narrative of poverty. Instead, it centred young women finding themselves within deeply patriarchal structures, unpacking feminism and misogyny not as ideas, but as lived realities. And that quiet honesty, mirrored so beautifully in Ranta’s performance, is what ultimately carried the film far beyond its unassuming theatrical start.

“Laapataa Ladies arrived without noise but with honesty, and I think that’s why it stayed,” she says. Looking back at the global recognition the film received, she feels it unlocked a deeper sense of confidence. “It reassured me that you don’t need to be loud to be seen, and you don’t need spectacle to be impactful. The film made me trust simplicity and restraint, and it taught me that stories rooted in empathy can travel far beyond borders.”

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Her character’s resolve was quiet but unshakeable—strong-headed without ever demanding attention. Playing a woman like that altered Ranta’s understanding of strength itself. “In many societies, silence is mistaken for weakness, but silence can also be about choice, dignity, and courage.” It was about knowing who you are, even when the world tries to define you differently, a lesson she carries both personally and professionally.

The response to the film, particularly from women and young girls, stayed with her. “What surprised me most was how many women saw parts of their own lives in the character, small moments, everyday struggles, unspoken dreams.” The conversations weren’t about labels or ideology. “They were about lived experiences,” she says. “That’s when I realised the film had touched something deeply real.”

With that connection came a new kind of visibility. Ranta is aware that many young girls now look up to her, but she approaches that responsibility gently. “I do feel a sense of responsibility, but not pressure,” she explains. “Stories have the power to shape thought. If my work can make someone feel seen, understood, or even a little braver about their choices, that’s meaningful to me. I try to choose roles that come from honesty rather than image.”

That honesty is rooted in where she comes from. Raised in a Pahari household in Himachal Pradesh, Ranta grew up watching the women around her, especially her mother and grandmother, hold families together while nurturing their own dreams. “They worked and took care of our apple farm,” she says. “They are my biggest inspiration.”

Acting wasn’t always a clearly defined dream, but storytelling always was. She was drawn to characters who felt real, slightly flawed and emotionally honest. “There was a moment when I realised storytelling was how I wanted to express myself and connect with the world,” she says. “It felt instinctive, like something falling into place.”

That instinct found direction under the mentorship of Kiran Rao, whose leadership on Laapataa Ladies left a lasting impact. “Working with Kiran was deeply transformative,” Ranta says. “She leads with so much empathy and conviction. I learned that strength and gentleness can coexist, and that powerful storylines don't need ego or artifice.”

The success of the film also shifted perceptions of what a ‘leading woman’ could look like in Hindi cinema. “I do feel the industry is opening up, slowly but surely,” she says. “There’s more space now for nuanced, layered female characters, women who don’t fit into boxes.”

Next, Ranta steps into a dramatically different universe with The Revolutionaries, a large-scale period drama rooted in history, rebellion, and change. “The scale and emotional depth drew me in,” she says. “It’s a world very different from anything I’ve done before, and that challenge excited me.”

Preparing for the role has demanded full immersion. “Understanding the era, the emotional weight of rebellion, the courage it took to stand for change, it demands presence, not just performance,” she explains. “Every detail matters, and the process has been intense and deeply fulfilling.”

Looking ahead, Ranta hopes to tell stories that stay with people, stories that are honest, compassionate, and reflective of the times we live in. Success, she says, has evolved. “Today, success is growth, and the ability to keep learning. If my work continues to spark thought and emotion, that feels far more meaningful than any accolade.”

Lastly, if the star could send a DM to her younger self, what would it say? She wouldn’t overthink it: What you dream of today, I am living that now, and I’ll take it even further. Beautiful.

Team Credits:

Editorial Director: Ainee Nizami Ahmedi; Videographer: Akshay Pawar; Jr. Fashion Stylist: Tejashree Raul; Asst. Art Director: Alekha Chugani; Makeup: Saba Khan; Hair:  Sandeep Chaupal; Jr. Production & Talent Manager: Nirja Shah; Brand Solutions: Rhea Sanil; Assisted by: Idris Nidham, Hardika Singh (styling), Tapasya Sawant (bookings); Artist Reputation Management: Communiqué Film PR