Television actress Rati Pandey was born on September 11, 1982, in Assam. She did her primary schooling in Assam till she turned seven. Rati later moved to Patna and then New Delhi to complete her secondary schooling. (All pictures/Rati Pandey's official Instagram account)

After graduating from Delhi University in Economics, Rati Pandey started her career with Zee Cinestars Ki Khoj, in 2006. In picture: A childhood picture of Rati Pandey (sitting in her father's lap) and her family.

Though in 2007, she made a lot of small-screen appearances in shows like C.I.D, Raat Hone Ko Hai and Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai, Rati Pandey became a household name with the show Miley Jab Hum Tum.

Miley Jab Hum Tum aired for two years, and her bubbly character became so popular with fans she gained a large fan following after the show. Some still recall her as Nupur from Miley Jab Hum Tum.

In picture: A still from an episode of 'Miley Jab Hum Tum' - Rati Pandey as Nupur Bhushan Sharma.

In 2011, Rati Pandey was offered a lead role in the show Hitler Didi. She played a double role in the show, which was a learning experience for the actress but at the same time hectic too.

Rati Pandey in an old interview with mid-day had said, 'The journey has been amazing no doubt. I have learnt so much and had the opportunity to grow with both roles, but the double role of Zara and Indira is becoming a bit taxing now. The whole team is working really hard as we have been shooting non-stop with no episode banks. Since Zara and Indira are present in every scene, I need to change my get-ups very frequently and this increases the workload. The combination scenes of Zara and Indira are again very difficult to handle since I basically have to do the same scene twice.'

But even as it became hectic for the actress, viewers liked Rati Pandey in both the avatars in Hitler Didi. In fact, she garnered praise for her portrayal of a strict, stubborn and over-possessive Indira.

Routine saas-bahu dramas are a 'once is enough' case for Rati Pandey as the actress is averse to shows with a heavy dose of 'rona dhona'.

'After having done a saas-bahu drama once in my career, I would like to explore other types of roles. As long as the show has a different concept, I am open to doing it. I don't like saas-bahu dushmani, rona dhona type serials. I think they've had their moment under the sun, they're outdated now,' said Rati Pandey in an old interview with mid-day.

Rati Pandey feels there are many sides to a woman, and these sorts of shows limit it just to two aspects. 'Those shows project only two done-to-death stereotypical images of a woman. They're either the evil, ever-scheming, ever-plotting breed or they fall in the category of the demure damsels perennially in distress. There are so many other aspects to a woman's character. I like shows that feature women as well-rounded individuals with depth of character, rather than painting them as limp, uni-dimensional caricatures,' she said.

That is also one reason why she took up the role of Indira (Hitler Didi), an independent girl who takes up the responsibility of her family, single-handedly. 'While Indira has had to face some difficult circumstances, there are also several lighter aspects to her life that are brought out on the show,' said Rati, who detests the idea of playing negative roles.

Ironically, after a sabbatical of two years, Rati Pandey returned to television with Begusarai, in which she was seen playing a negative character Komal.

'If I am offered a role which is not only noticeable but also challenging to the core in a serial, I am game to do even a negative role. However, let me reiterate that I do not want to be yet another vamp in yet another saas-bahu serial. I do not wish to play the vamp in any saas-bahu show for the simple reason that the actresses playing these roles are required to not only wear loud makeup which I find obnoxious but are also expected to ham ridiculously, resorting to all kinds of exaggerated mannerisms and facial contortions. Strictly avoidable!' Rati Pandey explained.

However, a music reality show is definitely on Rati Pandey's mind. 'I would love to do a reality show someday, but the show should be music-related. I can't live without music. Music is like relaxation therapy for me. Right now it's just a hobby and I am not yet talking about getting into it as a professional. But I would like to go down that path someday,' said Rati.

Rati, however, believes in slow and steady wins the race! She said, 'How good I am as a singer, only time will tell. In fact, I was to come up with an album of peppy numbers with Piyush Soni but there was an inordinate delay in the project. In any case, I prefer to go slow and steady instead of zooming to the top overnight and crashing down with a thud shortly.'

Rati Pandey was seen in 2018's Porus, where she played Queen Anusuya. The story of the show revolved around the journey of King Porus of the Paurava kingdom, who fought against Alexander the Great in the Battle of the Hydaspes.

In 2019, Rati Pandey was seen in the TV show Divya Drishti. She played Vidya Sharma, Sarthak's wife (Divya and Drishti's mother).

She was also seen as Princess Devyani in the widely acclaimed historical fiction show Tenali Rama. Rati is currently seen in Devi Adi Parashakti as Adi Parashakti.

We wish Rati Pandey a very happy birthday. May you see more success in the future!