Neena Gupta is so straightforward, you don’t feel like you’re talking to someone from the film fraternity. She’s like your favourite aunt, offering advice and anecdotes as you listen with rapt attention, wondering at the life she has lived. They say you’re the product of your choices, and she has stood by her choices. From being a single mother to Masaba to embracing marriage in her middle age, she has done it all with pride and panache. She has found fulfilment as an actor doing middle-of-the-road cinema and OTT projects and is raring to push the envelope every single time. Excerpts from an engrossing chat with the engaging actress
What are your biggest takeaways from your second inning? Are there things you don’t think of anymore?
(Laughs) I don’t think about money so much anymore because I do have some now. I had to do everything for money earlier. So it’s a big relief that I don’t have to do any movies or roles just to run my house. I can afford to say no to a few projects. Earlier, I didn’t have this option. It is relaxing now that way. The mind is more at peace, helping me concentrate to bring my best to the screen.
What advice would you give to your younger self today?
I would say to focus on whatever work you want to do. Focus on yourself first. Don’t focus on men. Because women have this tendency, their main focus becomes men. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old. But men are not like that. They’re quite the opposite. In fact, the focus of a man is always his work. I also suffered because my focus changed. I was lonely with no work in Mumbai, so I wanted to be with somebody, and that changed the whole trajectory of my life. So I want to give this advice: It’s okay to be alone; watch a movie alone, but don’t hamper your work because you feel lonely. Invest in yourself first, then in a man and a relationship.
Youngsters always look up to you because you come across as a broad-minded individual. Is this the kind of relationship you have with Masaba?
No, I tell her that at my level of experience, I can do certain things, but she can’t. So I tell her to be quiet. I told her ek chup sau sukh (it’s better to be quiet at times). I tell her to follow this motto: Bolne se nuksan hi hota hai (as being outspoken too has its pitfalls).
Which is Masaba’s favourite film of yours?
She has seen Saath Saath and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron and has liked them. I am angry with her; she doesn’t watch my films.
Are you both temperamentally alike?
Somewhat, for sure, but not in every aspect. She has more patience than me. I tend to give up very soon. She doesn’t easily give up. She’s someone who always aims for the long haul.
Is she a natural in front of the camera like you? Were you surprised by her finesse in Masaba Masaba?
Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by Masaba’s performance. I had told her not to work in movies because of her looks, but when I saw her in Masaba Masaba, I couldn’t believe how good she was. It gladdened my heart, to say the least. And I am her worst critic, so when I say this, it’s big.
The entire family got together during her wedding to actor Satyadeep Mishra, which must have felt special.
It was nice and simple. All the more special because she designed all the clothes herself. Her husband is a sweet, sensible person. They both looked so good together during the nuptials. It was a fulfilling feeling. I’m happy for her and for both of them.
Charlie Chopra and The Mystery of Solang Valley is an Agatha Christie adaptation. So many of her books have been made into films. Which one is your favourite?
When I was much younger, I used to read the Perry Mason mysteries, and there was a very interesting writer called Colonel Ranjit, whom I used to read in Hindi. I haven’t read too much of Agatha Christie; I don’t really remember.
What intrigues you about Vishal Bhardwaj’s world of storytelling?
What I enjoyed was the homework he had done on the subject and how much one is open to adapting to things. Beautiful music, lighting, and the way he used to stage the whole scene. Firstly, he used to stage the scene like you see in a theatre, and then he would decide how the camera went and all that. So it was a different kind of experience. It was more theatrical, and the main thing was the rehearsals.
With such an ensemble cast, the rehearsals must be quite intensive.
Because we shot most of it in Manali, the room was quite small, and there were 18 characters. We decided to stage the whole thing. There were seating arrangements in place. Everyone used to sit in one particular place and say their lines. Everyone got to know their cues and their places. Then we used to go back and set up the lighting, and then we used to shoot.
After having done so many genres, what is your favourite?
I have always been involved with drama. Somehow or another, such projects landed on my plate. I long to do comedy. I have not done much comedy, so I am looking forward to doing comedy. I loved doing Panchayat because it has comedic elements in it. While it’s not an out-and-out comedy, one can say it’s a slice-of-life drama. And I love the way it talks about village life and its problems. It has made people reconnect with their roots.
What is the best and worst advice you have gotten after such a long journey in the industry?
People gave me a lot of advice. The best was that PR is important. Everything was bad; I can’t remember the worst. Okay, maybe the worst was: Abhi chota role karlo baadme bada milega (Do a smaller role now and it’ll lead to bigger things). Let me tell you, this does not happen.
Do you think it’ll be overwhelming to watch your book being made into a movie?
(Laughs) Well, the funny part is, the people who had approached me for the film have disappeared. I don’t know how somebody will make it. I can’t visualise or imagine it because it’s so vast as a journey. I have not thought about it at all.
If you are not in it, who do you see essaying your character?
Masaba? I think that’ll be interesting.
You have said travelling brings you peace. You own a house in Mukteshwar, which has become your favourite abode.
I like travelling, but I think I am most at peace in my home. There was once a problem in my house, and I thought I’d change it, but then I said no because ab toh aise ho gaya hai ki mai yaha hi marungi (I’ve grown so fond of it that I wish to be here till the end of my days). I think at home I’m most at peace.
Is there a myth you’d like to bust for younger actors?
One preconceived notion that I also had was that “I am a good actor; if I do one movie, people will come running to me.” No one comes running to you. Please get that straight. Nothing like that happens. You have to prove yourself time and again. Treat every project as your last and give your best to it.
But aren’t people flocking up to you with proposals? Surely that has changed…
Yes, now the times have somewhat changed, but I am talking about an earlier era, when I was young. It took me a lifetime to be where I’m today. Things don’t change overnight.
Unnchai was such an ode to true and long-lasting friendships; did it make you miss your friends?
I have some friends here in Mumbai, but in Delhi, all my friends have gotten left behind. I am a people’s person; I cannot do without people. But now I have started feeling like a loner. I don’t enjoy other people’s company much. I enjoy the company of very few people. I recently went to Goa, and I met this couple, and we sat and talked for 56 hours. Everybody changes with time—you, me, everyone. That’s the way of life, I guess and you just go with the flow.
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