Veteran actor Neena Gupta, who has been winning praise for her back-to-back performances on OTT, recently opened up about the struggles she faced in her early years and how several of her films went unnoticed due to a lack of promotion. Over the years, Neena has built an impressive body of work across film and OTT, with memorable projects including Saans, Gandhi, Badhaai Ho, Panchayat, Masaba Masaba, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, and more.
During a conversation with ANI, she said, “I had to do everything because I didn’t have money. Now I have understood that this industry is a business. You have a market value. You get paid accordingly, and you get roles accordingly. If your film becomes a hit and you become popular and successful, you will get a good role in the next film. It is a business. One should not get emotional.”
She continued, “Every artist wants to be seen by as many people as possible. It’s painful when I give my all to a film, and it goes unnoticed. At one point, I worked on five films for a platform. They released three or four of them without any publicity. No one saw them, even though I had given my all. That is painful. I want people to see my work and say, ‘What work you have done.’ If that doesn’t happen, it hurts, but it’s okay. You don’t get everything. God gives you accordingly.”
The actress also shared that her role in the 1982 film Saath Saath was her biggest mistake, and late actor-director Girish Karnad told her that she would never get a heroine role.
“The biggest mistake I made was doing Saath Saath. I played the role of a ‘lallu ladki’ (a silly, know-it-all girl). The film became such a big hit, I thought I had arrived. There was a party for the premiere, and Girish Karnad, who knew me from NSD, came up to me. He told me, ‘Now you’re finished. You’ll never get a heroine role.’ And that’s exactly what happened.”
Meanwhile, Neena Gupta will next be seen in Vadh 2 with Sanjay Mishra. It will be released theatrically on February 6.
Also Read: Neena Gupta, Sanjay Mishra Look Intense in The Latest Poster of Vadh 2
