Many from the current generation of Bollywood actors are ruling the roost globally. They are being lauded for blazing the trail and paving the way for having taken representation, diversity, and inclusivity a notch higher. While Deepika Padukone was a presenter at the 95th Academy Awards, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Alia Bhatt graced this year’s MET Gala, making many heads turn. Not only is their feat inspirational for newbies trying to make it big in the West but also for older actors. As for Neena Gupta, she feels mixed emotions.
In an exclusive chat with News18, Gupta confides that she has been experiencing a kind of ‘envy’ and she wishes she could have received this kind of global recognition too back in the day. “I wish we also had the same kind of exposure. I think about it every passing minute. I feel envious every second (smiles),” she says.
Having defied the age-old norm pertaining to ageism in the Hindi film industry with a slew of projects that she has been and will be headlining, Gupta wishes she was a young actor today. “I wonder what if I was a young actor in this day and age! I could have achieved so much more. Having said that, I know that you can’t have everything that you wish for. I definitely do feel thankful for all the work that’s coming my way even at this age. But yes, I feel very, very jealous when I look at them wearing gowns and walking [on the global stage],” she states.
The 63-year-old, however, has already decided that if she ever gets invited to a global event, she will be sporting a creation put together by her designer-cum-actor daughter, Masaba Gupta. She remarks, “If they call me, I’m game. I don’t have the body to wear a gown. So, I’ll wear a very beautiful saree if I’m invited to go [to an international event]. But no one’s inviting me (laughs). If an opportunity comes my way, I’ve Masaba to style me.”
Known for her candour, the actor, who was recently seen in Mrs Chatterjee VS Norway, jokes that female actors who are younger than her also have a reason to be ‘jealous’ of her. Prod her and she puts forth a plethora of films that she has lined up for release. “We just wrapped up Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley and I’m shooting for Metro In Dino. Pachhhattar Ka Chhora is also in the making. I’ve done a segment in Lust Stories 2 which is directed by R Balki. It will release on June 29. It’s a beautiful and amazing short,” she says.
Gupta further adds, “Then I’ve three projects with Jio Studios – one feature film called Baa and two anthologies named Dogs Not Allowed and Ishq E Nadaan, where I’ll be working with Kanwaljit (Singh). I’ve also finished another film for Amazon with Jackie (Shroff). It’s called Sabun and it’s very close to my heart. It’s very different from Khujli (2017). It’s directed by Vijay Maurya and he’s so good!”
At present, she is looking forward to the world television premiere of Goodbye (2022) on &Pictures on Sunday (May 7) at 12 noon. While speaking to us about the film, she is reminded of her friend and peer, Satish Kaushik, who passed away on March 9 following a cardiac arrest. “A very close friend of mine, Satish Kaushik, passed away. We used to meet seldom but whenever we used to meet, he used to tell me, ‘Nancy, aaj tere ghar pe dinner karenge.’ The dinner plans would also include Anupam (Kher). But because of our diverse schedules, that dinner plan never materialised. Goodbye deals with exactly this. Life is unpredictable and anyone can leave us at any given moment. So, it’s important that we say what we want to anyone who matters or do the things that our heart desires. We don’t know god’s plans,” shares the Uunchai (2022) and Badhaai Ho (2018) actor.
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