Veteran actress Neena Gupta recently attended the TOI Dialogues – Uttarakhand 2025 Edition, held on Tuesday. At the event, she spoke candidly about why she could reject any film that required her to compromise her principles, crediting her mother and her education for the confidence.
Why Neena Gupta could reject offers
During the event, Neena shared, “Meri maa ke wajah se, jab main industry mein aayi, tabhi M.Phil karke aayi. I am an M.Phil in Sanskrit. Toh main padhi-likhi hu. (Because of my mother, when I entered the industry, I had completed my M.Phil. I am an M.Phil in Sanskrit. So, I am educated.)”She explained how being educated helped her navigate the film industry, “Usse kya hota tha, ki agar koi mujhe kahe, ki aap yeh karo toh role milega, aur mujhe woh pasand nahi hai, toh mere mind mein yeh hota tha, ‘Roti toh main kha lungi, kyunki main teach kar sakti hu, main yeh kar sakti hu, main woh kar sakti hu… Mujhe koi bhi kaam karne mein sharam nahi hai, main jhadu bhi maar sakti hu.’ (Because of being educated, if someone said that I would get a role only if I did something I didn’t like, I would think, ‘I can teach, I can do this or that. I have no shame in doing any work; I can even do cleaning.’)”
‘I am no judge’ if others choose to compromise
Neena also reflected on how easy it is to go the wrong way in the film industry. She clarified that such situations can happen in any profession, or as she corrected herself, “in life.”She added, “Main toh ab yeh bhi maanti hu ki agar koi dusri actress ya ladki compromise karke kuch paana chahti hai, I am no judge. (Now I feel that if some other actress or girl wants to achieve something by compromising, I am no judge.)” She further said, “Let her or him do what they want to,” advising that no one should feel guilty later for the choices they made.
On the work front
Neena was last seen in the film Achaari Baa, which released in March 2025.
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