Veteran actor Susmita Mukherjee recently opened up about one of the most challenging phases of her life, revealing why she had to take up films she was not comfortable with at the time.

In a video shared on Instagram on Wednesday, the actor, known for films like Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (2006), Khalnayak (1993) and King Uncle (1993), said she was forced to accept C-grade films after her family-owned production house, Prayas Productions, shut down, as she needed to repay debts.

Recalling a follower’s question about why she appeared in films that were criticized for being sexist and disrespectful towards women, she said, “The question shocked me because it’s a very disturbing thing to go back to my life and say, ‘Why did I act in such sexist, C-grade films, films derogatory to women’. I didn’t do pornography, but just bad films, bad choices. So did I sell my soul? Of course, I did. Did I feel good about it? I didn’t feel good then. I still don’t feel good about it, but it was my helplessness,” she said.

Explaining the circumstances behind those choices, Susmita recalled how things took a difficult turn in 2002 when she and her husband lost their media firm. The business went bankrupt because a “new era of technology had come, angel investment and venture capital”, leaving them unable to adapt and ultimately forcing them into bankruptcy.

“It was a very bad time, my children were very young. So, I was forced to start working again. All the money that used to come, I had to repay a loan of Rs. 1 crore,” she shared.