Neena Gupta admits that she is in the best phase of her life with good work coming her way. Though there has never been any doubt about her skills as an actor, the roles she was offered weren’t matching her expectations, until Badhaai Ho came her way. The film opened the floodgates and marked the beginning of a new chapter in Neena’s professional life.

“I did not get work because of my Insta posts, I got it because of Badhaai Ho (2018). That film changed the course for me. I was recognized as a good actor and that got me more work and respect. It’s unbelievable at times to see such good work coming to me now. There was a time when I thought that nothing much would happen unless I made a film for myself. However, I am fortunate that things have changed today, because of OTT platforms and other factors. There are young filmmakers who are working on amazing subjects and older filmmakers who have changed their styles. I am in a very good phase in my life, workwise and otherwise,” she says.

While Neena has directed shows like Saans, she has no intention of getting behind the camera any time soon. She explains, “People ask me about directing or producing a film and I say, ‘No, this phase has come after many years of hard work, as well as no work, so let me enjoy it fully.’ I am lucky, I am working hard, and I am very happy. My daughter Masaba has also grown up, so, I don’t feel guilty that I am working. She is extremely supportive and tells me to do as much work as I can because she understands that I didn’t get what I wanted to do for many years.”

Her newfound success has, in fact, made her immune to the way the film industry often slots actresses on the basis of their looks and glamour quotient. She shares, “The tendency to slot actresses in a particular mould is still prevalent. That still happens, although I have tried a lot to break it. Today, if you see my work, I am playing totally different characters in my projects. This is exactly what I did earlier, too, but because of this, I didn’t get work. However, fortunately, times have changed and so have people. They are offering and accepting me in varied roles. Having said that, even today, some filmmakers prefer to take a yesteryear heroine instead of me in a role, just like it was back in the day because she was more known in her younger days. It has happened — that I was offered a role and then I came to know that they have replaced me with another actress who was a bigger name in her heydays.”

She adds, “These things happen, but I don’t lose heart. If a director or producer thinks that a particular artiste is better for them, I am nobody to tell them otherwise. I am also not bitter about it because I am getting good work. Toh agar ek aadh cheez mein bura lagta hai toh itna bhi nahi lagta. If I crib, God will think that after having given me so much I am still complaining, so that would not be fair (smiles!).”

Among the many films that she has taken up includes Satish Kaushik’s Kaagaz 2. Talking about it, she shares, “I liked the story of the film as it is socially relevant. I admire a filmmaker’s work when there is a purpose behind their films and they have something socially relevant to say.”

Besides, doing the film was a no-brainer as the filmmaker and she go a long way back. She adds, “We have known each other since the time Satish Kaushik ji was in Kirorimal College and I was in Janki Devi Mahavidyalaya. There is a bonding and friendship between us that cannot wither away just because we don’t meet or work with each other. When he approached me for the film, he didn’t ask me whether I wanted to do the film, but just said, ‘You have to do it.’ I feel proud that he keeps making socially relevant films, like Kaagaz.”