Neena Gupta says, 'If Badhaai Ho wasn’t a hit then I would be doing only small characters'

Neena Gupta is in a happy space professionally and personally as well. She has no regrets. She is also happy about her recently released film Vadh. The Free Press Journal caught up with her for an exclusive chat. Excerpts:  

How do you look at your second stint of acting?

My career revived after Badhaai Ho released. If that film wasn’t a hit then I would be doing only small characters. Now I am being offered lead roles. We all need one break and a hit. Yes, I believe in destiny.

You are now working with young and new directors. What is your approach and how much faith do you have in them?

You have to trust somebody you are being directed by. When Rajeev (Barnwal) narrated the entire script of Vadh, I was convinced. If a new director never possesses any ego problem and is ready to hear suggestions then the work becomes easy. I am not saying he/she should agree to what I am suggesting, but they at least need to lend a ear to me. A director should at least understand his/her actors. If I had any suggestions or had any queries Rajeev would explain it to me.

Do you agree that at times senior actors/directors may not agree with each other on something that is in the script?

Yes, when we worked with director Shyam Benegal sir, we would get scared to even ask any question. But later I noted that many youngsters argue with their directors if they don’t get satisfied with a few things. So now I have also started asking questions. But it is interesting.

How do you look at this revival time in your career?

It’s a wonderful time for me. I am thankful to God for having bestowed upon me good roles now. I only try to maintain my health so that I can keep working. As we have long and night shifts. I feel exhausted from the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. shift. But we have to work.

What are your future films?

I have shot Baa directed by Hardik Gajjar. I am the heroine and there is a dog. Then I have done Shiv Shastri Balboa with Anupam Kher which has not been released yet. We have shot it in America. I have done three anthologies. Ishq-e-Nadaan with Kanwaljit (Singh) we are coming together after a long gap. Then I have Lust Stories 2 with director R. Balki. Recently, I have completed a film titled Sabun with Vijay Maurya. He is a very good director.