‘PEOPLE OF MY AGE HAVE SUBSTANTIAL ROLES TODAY’

Filmmakers are more open to experimenting today, feels actor Neena Gupta, who has had three big releases this year

Actor Neena Gupta — who is basking in the success of her film Badhaai Ho, running in theatres more than a month after its release — feels that the times have changed for senior actors, and for the better.

“People of my age today have good, substantial roles, which wasn’t there before. I am happy about it. But at that time also, we couldn’t reach the very big filmmakers such as Subhash Ghai or BR Chopra. I had no mentor or godfather, and didn’t know how to reach them. I am saying the only people we could reach were the art house filmmakers,” says Neena.

“One of my journalist friends once told me that even that time, in art films, the main roles would go to Shabana (Azmi), Deepti (Naval), and Smita (Patil),” says the 60-yearold, who saw praise heaped on her when she put out an Instagram post asking for work in films last year.

However, says Neena, “that phase has ended, and today, it’s easier to approach younger filmmakers. I have no hesitation or shame in asking for work. I have shame in asking for money. Main udhaar zindagi mein leti nahin hoon, par kaam ke liye main kuchch bhi maang sakti hoon.” Neena, who made her film debut in Saath Saath (1982), was also seen in Mulk and Veere Di Wedding this year.

Having been no stranger to struggle as an actor herself, Neena weighs in on the #MeToo movement that has taken the Hindi film industry by storm. Has it always been there? “Yes, it has existed all the time, everywhere in the world, I think. I was not very young when I came (into films). I was 27. I went through a lot of harassment, with people trying… but I was not very desperate or ambitious. I didn’t want to compromise on certain things,” she says.

She, however, adds, “My question is: if a woman is ambitious, is it wrong? It’s not. If a woman’s ambitious, she knows if she doesn’t compromise, she won’t get work. I have no moral judgement on women who have compromised. They needed the money to feed their parents… how do we know?,” the actor signs off.

PHOTO: RAAJESSH KASHYAP Neena Gupta