Did you know Neena Gupta said YES to Sooraj Barjatya’s Uunchai without hearing its script?

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As a dedicated follower of Neena Gupta’s career, I can’t help but admire her resilience and determination. Her journey in Hindi cinema is nothing short of inspiring, from her early days to her powerful comeback in Badhaai Ho and winning the National Award for Uunchai. It’s fascinating to know that she agreed to work with Sooraj Barjatya without even hearing the script! That takes guts, my friend!

65-year-old actress Neena Gupta, known for films such as Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Mandi, Swarg, Khalnayak among others, made a strong return in the 2018 film Badhaai Ho. Neena has been open about her experiences in Hindi cinema. Interestingly, she accepted a role in Sooraj Barjatya’s 2022 directorial Uunchai without even reading its script first. Did you know that she recently won a National Award for her performance in this film?

In a 2022 conversation with TopMob, Neena Gupta talked about landing the role in Rajshri Productions’ Uunchai and her eagerness to collaborate with director Sooraj Barjatya, which she didn’t want to pass up.

“Neena expressed shock when he invited her to his office for a script reading. She had been pondering whether she would do it even without hearing the narration.”

“Since it had been 30 years since we couldn’t meet, it seemed impossible. But then something unexpected occurred…” she explained.

Neena Gupta stated that in the early stages of her acting career, she didn’t have the opportunity to connect with well-known directors because she lacked connections and influential figures within the film industry.

Back in the day, I found it quite a challenge to connect with filmmakers, but there was one exception – the esteemed Shyam Benegal, director of Mandi. You see, being an alumna of the National School of Drama, I had the privilege of crossing paths with him. Although he didn’t offer me any leading roles in his films, we would still meet, as I recall.

In a recent chat with Hindustan Times, Neena Gupta disclosed her initial response upon receiving the National Film Award for Uunchai. She admitted that she requested her manager to confirm it again, just to make sure she had read the winners’ list correctly.

Besides Neena, the movie Uunchai boasts a stellar lineup of actors including Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Danny Denzongpa, and Sarika.

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2024-08-17 01:07