Neena Gupta says Mandi director Shyam Benegal never gave her a major role: I’ve always played smaller parts in his films

Actor Neena Gupta has revealed that filmmaker Shyam Benegal never gave her a major role in his films. Neena has featured in three films by Shyam Benegal–Mandi (1983), Trikal (1985), and Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (1992). In a new interview, Neena said that during the 1980s and 1990s, it was difficult to get ‘main roles’, be it in commercial or parallel cinema. (Also Read | Neena Gupta thought people would queue up to work with her post Saath Saath)

Neena added that filmmakers wanted to cast a “saleable face”. She also added that the lead roles featured actors Shabana Azmi, and Smita Patil. The actor also said she is also clear about not picking any typical “mother roles”.

In an interview with news agency PTI, Neena said, “There was no chance of meeting the producer and director in commercial cinema. There was this parallel cinema and there again the main roles were going to Shabana (Azmi), Smita (Patil) and if it’s a small (film), then Deepti (Naval). We had no chance in these films also. Shyam (Benegal) never gave me a major role. I have always played smaller parts in his films. So, the situation was similar in commercial cinema. It is a business, they want to take a saleable face.”

Taling about the kind of roles she doesn’t want to do, Neena said, “I say no to stereotypical roles. And no mother roles. It is good that people are looking at women in different spaces.”

Neena has featured in many films as well as television serials in the last few decades. Fans have seen her in Mandi (1983), Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (1983), Mirza Ghalib (serial in 1988), Trikal (1985), Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (1992), Dard (serial 1993), Badhaai Ho (2018), The Last Colour (2019), Goodbye (2022), Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar (2021), Panchayat (web series 2020), and Masaba Masaba (web series 2020) among many others.

Neena was last seen in the recently released film, Ajayan Venugopalan’s Shiv Shastri Balboa. The film also stars Anupam Kher, Jugal Hansraj, Nargis Fakhri and Sharib Hashmi in pivotal roles. It released in theatres on February 10.

She also has Anurag Basu’s Metro In Dino in the pipeline. Billed as an anthology, the film is set to hit the theatres on December 8, 2023. It also features Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Konkona Sensharma, Pankaj Tripathi, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Ali Fazal in lead roles.