Lillete Dubey is happy to see older actors getting more work

AThere’s a lot of competition for the same roles now, as there are a lot more senior actors for the same part. LILLETE DUBEY, Actor

fter over 40 years as a stage and screen performer, actor Lillete Dubey is busier than ever, with projects such as Blind and Yaariyaan 2 in the works. The 69-year-old has trounced the ageold notion that senior actors, and female actors after a certain age, find it hard to get work easily.

“I am very grateful to God that I keep getting work, because I am not [going out and] asking for it. Luckily, projects keep coming along,” she says.

Dubey agrees that the advent of OTT in India deserves credit for more opportunities coming artistes’ way. “It changed the game. People are not looking for stars anymore, they are looking for good actors. Also, a lot of work has come in that has refined people’s tastes. They look for good performances and not necessarily big-budget Hindi films. OTT goes into places cinema never will,” says the actor.

She cites the example of actors Pankaj Tripathi and Jaideep Ahlawat. “They suddenly came to the fore and people are enjoying their work. I am so happy to see older actresses getting work, too. There is space for them again,” shares the Tadka (2022) actor.

The boom hasn’t come without its share of struggle, however, opines Dubey. “There’s a lot of competition for the same roles now, as there are a lot more senior actors for the same part,” she points out.

While all this keeps her busy, her heart, she maintains, is in theatre. “I was in college when I watched Adhe Adhure for the first time. It featured (late) actor Surekha Sikri. I promised myself that when I have my own theatre company, I would do this play and would play that role myself,” ends Dubey, who is working on a teleplay based on the Mohan Rakesh classic.