Deepti Naval, who marked her acting debut with Junoon (1978), completes 45 years as an actor this year. At this stage of her career, she is looking for more defined roles. “I am hoping to get better roles, else, I’m happy writing. There is no dearth of acting offers. The typical mother roles are a dime a dozen,” she says.

Naval was certain that she didn’t want to take on just another mother role in a project and that’s something she was clear about even while signing her next release, Kavita & Teresa. “I asked the director, ‘What do you want me to play?’ It’s either the young girl or Mother Teresa. I didn’t want to do any typical mother role. My role in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD; 2011) was minuscule and I thought, ‘Oh my God, is this what it’s going to be now? People are going to call me for one or two scenes?’ It was like an alarm.”

She adds, “Of course, it (ZNMD; she played actor Farhan Akhtar’s mum) was a beautiful film to be a part of. But here (Kavita & Teresa) I thought, yes, I could bring something [to the table]. I wanted to be a part of a good film, just like I wanted to be a part of Zoya’s (Akhtar, ZNMD director) movie.”

Did the entire ZNMD episode bother her? “Out of the three scenes, two were kept and only one was pulled out. That’s the freedom the director takes. I was happy, but I certainly didn’t want to be the mother and be there for just a split second,” she clarifies.

Having said that, Naval, 71, is “very comfortable” with her age. “I don’t want to try and look younger. Also, I don’t want to be desperate about how I’m looking on screen. I look my age and I’m okay with it,” she ends.