At the age of 47, actor Divya Dutta is content with the direction her career has taken. From her film Sharmaji Ki Beti doing the rounds of festivals to shooting a project with actor Manoj Bajpayee in Lucknow, Dutta has had a busy year.

As she waits for the release of her upcoming film, Chhava, the actor tells us, “I am very grateful. I am doing so many titular roles — it feels nice. There’s a gamut of things and I am rather happy.”

However, this wasn’t without turning down her fair share of roles. “I take up roles which make me nervous [and say no to] those that aren’t exciting at this stage of my life,” Dutta says, adding, “During the first narration of a story, you get a gut feeling. It’s important that I enjoy the journey of shooting a project with the people I work with. If something bothers me, I refuse. I have said quite a few ‘nos’ in the past, but it has been worth it.”

The actor credits this mindset to a piece of advice that producer Aditya Chopra gave her several years ago. “I had signed on to a lot of films, but he [Chopra] told me, ‘Drop half of them’. He said, ‘You should leave behind a legacy and not just do anything’. Now, the audience tells me, ‘When you are in something, we know it will be good’.”

Despite this, does she ever feel like something might be missing? “Kuch hota, toh I would have said a companion (is missing). Par woh jab aana hota hai toh aa jaata hai,” she ends.