EXCLUSIVE | Neena Gupta on Uunchai: ‘Still can’t believe that I am getting such good roles to play at 63’

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Neena Gupta talks about the second innings of her life. For actress Neena Gupta, the costume she wears is very important and with age she has become very particular about it. She says that the costume helps her to get into the role. She always believed that audiences are not fools. If you give them mediocre sweets to eat, they will enjoy that because they haven’t tasted good sweets.  She will soon be seen in Sooraj Barjatya’s Uunchai. Directed by Sooraj Barjatya, Uunchai stars Amitabh Bachchan, Danny Denzongpa, Boman Irani, Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Sarika and Parineeti Chopra and is all set to release on November 11.

Uunchai is about enjoying your second innings. How much are you enjoying your second innings?

I still can’t believe that I have such good parts to play at this age. And I am really enjoying my second innings. When some people ask me since I have directed Saans so when they ask me if I am willing to direct now? To which my answer is that I have just started enjoying my acting work which I got after turning sixty. I don’t want to give this up for anything else.

There are two things that I love the most, first is Masaba and second is acting. And thank god that I came back. I had left work because I was not getting good work or the kind of roles which I felt that I could do. I got married also, so I thought I would enjoy life since I wasn’t enjoying the kind of work that I was getting. When I took a break, I felt I wasn’t happy. Then I made a comeback.

Now after a hard day at work, I get tired and I crib too. But when I get up in the morning and I have some place to go where there is exciting work then my day is done.

Your journey in the entertainment industry has been very interesting. How do you choose your work?

The first time I said no to a project, I became very happy and this happened after my comeback when I am getting good work. Earlier I couldn’t say ‘no’ to any offer that came my way because I needed money. So, now I have decided that if I don’t like anything, I am going to say no because now I really don’t need to work for a living.

Uunchai has a different take and it is not about mountains, cold weather and chiffon saris. It doesn’t have very young actors who are talking about their love stories. What do you have to say about this change?

I always believe audiences are not fools. If you give them mediocre sweets to eat, they will enjoy that because they haven’t tasted good sweets. Now they have the option to taste everything and there is a huge variety of cinema available. OTT has given a huge exposure to the audience. When you switch on Netflix or Amazon Prime or any other digital platform you are happy, that your show has reached the global audience. The scene was not like this before. What used to happen was only chosen films used to go to foreign countries. Now everybody can see everything. Now there is an understanding that they cannot dish out anything to the audience. We have underestimated the audience for a bit too long, but not anymore.

What was the preparation for the role of Uunchai?

I didn’t do any preparation. The only thing that I am particular about is that my costume should be perfect as per my character. It is very important for me. When I did Last Colour and played the role of a widow, I just wore one white dhoti in the entire film. The moment I wear the costume, I become that character. In Panchayat, I wore nylon saris and I became that character. I believe what I learnt from my experience is that you have to concentrate and know and mean your lines well and to listen to the other person. This is my method. When Sooraj Barjatya told me about my role, I realised how beautifully the script was written and the whole idea was simple yet unique. I play a housewife whose life revolves around her husband like most Indian families. All the four men in the film have a family too and the way they are woven together in the story is amazing.

How are women’s roles changing?

If you see Panchayat you can make out that even though it is set in a village, it is a very contemporary film. All the viewers who love watching only English films, also liked it. And people identified with the characters. For Lust Stories Season 2, I am playing the grandmother. There was a time that the moment you touched thirty your career was finished. But the scene is different now. Now roles are being written keeping your age in mind.

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