'When It Happened To Me, I Was Shocked'

'I have had my share of unpleasant situations being a woman, like so many other actors have gone through.' 'I took it in my stride because I knew it would happen.' 'What saved me was what my mother used to say: Education.'

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Although the feisty Neena Gupta, who has just won a National Award for her film, Uunchai, worked with the best of directors in the early part of her career, she feels accepting small parts was a mistake.

"I have worked with Shyam Benegal, Kundan Shah and many film-makers but at that time, I got only smaller roles. I never got the main role, the leading lady. So I was always frustrated. I used to think I am more capable, I am quite good looking, so why wasn't I get it? But everywhere, it's the same thing," Neena Gupta tells Subhash K Jha.

"Film-making is a business, whatever sells, they take that. It's your market value because every film-maker has to have a financier. You have a good market value, then you get the leading part.

"I think the mistake I made was that I settled for smaller parts because one was desperate for work. So I was labelled a supporting actor. That changed with Badhaai Ho, but it took a long, long, time. I had a very good phase on television during Saans. I produced, directed, acted and did a variety of roles. I got good money also. But again, at that time, TV was smaller than films."

This, Neena feels, has changed now.

"All the big film-makers are going to the OTT platforms, actors are working on the OTT platforms now. But in my time, when I entered here, it was only films. It was a very difficult phase.

"Today's actors are lucky, as they have so many platforms. Film-making has also changed because of OTT platforms. Writers and directors are experimenting with newer subjects. You don't need a star for your project to be a hit. The best example is Panchayat. If the content is good, people will love it.