Neena Gupta says male actors don’t want to work with her: Most want younger actresses, although I look younger than them

From time to time, Neena Gupta has proved that age is just a number. However, she recently talked about her struggle to find co-stars opposite her. Talking about sexism and ageism, she said that many male actors want to work with ‘younger actresses’ and not her. (Also read: Neena Gupta, Ram Kapoor in Masaba Masaba)

Neena Gupta made her Bollywood debut in 1982 with Saath Saath. After a long career in films and TV, she recently began her ‘second inning’ with the success of Badhaai Ho in 2018. She recently appeared in Netflix’s Masaba Masaba Season 2, featuring her daughter, Masaba Gupta playing a fictionalised version of herself. It is based on the highs and lows of their personal and professional life. In the new season, she is seen opposite Ram Kapoor.

When asked about her thoughts of ageism and sexism, the 63-year-old act told GOODTiMES, “There are 2-3 projects where I asked the director who is opposite me, but he said ‘you suggest someday.’ I said, ‘This is the most difficult thing’ because mere sath koi milta hi nahi hain (It’s difficult to find anyone to work with me).” She added that she wants to thank Ram Kapoor for taking up the role opposite her despite being younger than her.

“Koi kaam nahi karne ko ready hai (No one wants to work with me). Most of them want to work with younger actresses, although I might look younger than them. Our society is not changed. You and I are a minority. We live in a patriarchal society and it will remain like this,” she added referring to women in the society.

Back in 2017, Neena Gupta left everyone surprised when she took to Twitter and shared that “she is a good actor, living in Mumbai and looking for good parts to play.” Her post was met with a lot of appreciation and support for putting herself out for work. Masaba Gupta, who is also a celebrity designer, reposted the post with a long message.