Esha Gupta wishes she had another surname
Esha Gupta says that she knew her journey in Bollywood wouldn’t be an easy one, even before she entered the industry. The actor says she has stayed away from networking to bag films, but often feels things would have been different, had she been a star kid.
“There are times, I wish even if four of my films flop, there is someone producing films for me and making films only with me,” says Esha, known for films such as Jannat 2 and Raaz 3.“Sometimes I thought, ‘I wish I didn’t have this surname, but that surname (referring to being a star kid).” However, despite all odds, she is happy with the work she has done. “It was a tough journey, but I have carved the way on my own,” says the actor, who stars in the just released film — Milan Luthria’s Baadshaho.
She adds that feeling like an outsider is not new to her. As her father was in the Air Force, they had to travel a lot, which meant constantly adjusting to different places and making new friends. This feeling resonates with her, even more clearly in Bollywood. “I think I am still an outsider. I am still treated like one, to quite an extent by the so-called ‘industry people’. It’s their body language that tells you. I can’t blame them, because even I haven’t made an effort to be a part of them. I don’t want to,” says Esha.
She says that she has been advised by many people to go out and do networking to get films, but Esha doesn’t wish to go and rally behind people for good projects. “I don’t know how it works. I can’t try to mince words, be sweet and ask for work,” she says. “I don’t go out, I just can’t. If you don’t like me, don’t give me work. If you don’t like me and still give me work, you’ll only try to pull me down. If I am after your life to get a film, you’re still going to give work to somebody else and badmouth about me behind my back,” she adds.