Neena Gupta candidly speaks up about her struggles and reveals it wasn’t easy living in Mumbai, read to know the full story below
Neena Gupta is celebrated as one of the most talented and evergreen stars in Indian cinema. Her illustrious career began in 1982, and she has never taken a break since. Even at 64, she continues to captivate audiences with her exceptional performances in films like “Badhaai Ho,” “Uunchai,” “Sardar Ka Grandson,” “Goodbye,” and “Lust Stories 2.” On the personal front, Neena is married to Delhi-based accountant Vivek Mehra and is the mother of Masaba Gupta, a renowned fashion designer.
In a candid interview with Showsha, Neena Gupta opened up about the tough decisions she had to make early in her career due to financial constraints. She recalled taking on roles she wasn’t proud of just to make ends meet. She shared, “Need ke hisaab se it has changed. Pehle zarurat thi paise ki zyada toh paise ke liye bahut bure bure kaam karne padte the. Kai baar mai bhagwan se prarthna karti thi ki yeh picture release hi na ho.” This translates to her confessing that earlier in her career, she had to do many subpar jobs for money, often praying that those films wouldn’t get released.
As her career progressed and her stature grew in the industry, Neena found herself in a position to be more selective about her projects. She expressed, “Ab mai na keh sakti hu, pehle kabhi na nahi keh sakti thi. Jo script mujhe bahaut achi lagti hai, role bahaut acha lagta hai woh han karti hu jo nahi acha lagta woh nahi karti hu.” This means she now has the luxury to say no to projects she doesn’t find appealing, a freedom she didn’t have earlier.