Neena Gupta won her first National Award for Bazar Sitaram (1993) in the Best First Non-Feature Film of a Director category. A year later, she was again honored with the National Award for Best Supporting Actress for Woh Chokri (1994). Now, 30 years later, she has once again gained recognition in the same category for her performance in Uunchai. The film, which was released in 2022, was directed by Sooraj Barjatya and revolved around three septuagenarian friends who embark on a trek to the Everest Base Camp.
In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Gupta says she “didn’t believe” the win initially. “I was happily surprised. I told my manager to reconfirm it. I didn’t even know that the National Awards winners would be declared on this date (August 16)! It has now sunk in, and I feel really good. This proves that if you really work hard, you’ll get something truly rewarding in return,” shares the 65-year-old.
Uunchai had an ensemble cast, including Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Danny Denzongpa, Parineeti Chopra, and Sarika. Gupta tells us that she’s overjoyed with all the love she has been receiving from her co-stars. “We have a Uunchai group that we made when we were shooting for the film. Everybody there congratulated me and said that I deserved it. Sooraj ji also wrote me a very sweet message, as did Boman, along with the staff members and the assistant directors. It has all been very nice,” she says.
At the 70th National Film Awards, Barjatya was also honored with the Best Director award for Uunchai. Talking about it, Gupta remarks, “I was even more thrilled when I came to know that Sooraj ji won the Best Director award. I have great respect for him. It was a dream come true when he called me and offered me a role.”
The Lust Stories 2 and Goodbye actor recalls the time when she left no stone unturned to meet him many decades back, hoping to land a role in his film. With Uunchai, she believes that life has come full circle for her. “I used to try really hard to meet him some 30-35 years ago. I could never meet him. From there to now, it feels great. I’m very happy that he received the honour. He always told us that the film came straight from his heart and that he had been wanting to make a film about four friends for a long time,” she adds.
So, how is she planning to celebrate this win? “I don’t know how I’ll celebrate. Masaba (Gupta; daughter) is taking me out for lunch tomorrow. Since I’ve caught a cold, I’ll move the party to a later date. In fact, I wish someone would throw me a party (laughs). I’m flying really high right now. A National Award is a National Award. Bahut pratishtha hoti hai usse, bahut izzat badhti hai usse,” Gupta says.
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