Many say veteran actor Neena Gupta has been Bollywood’s low-key ‘discovery’ of 2018. But that’s only if you’ve only recently been born and are not familiar with her body of work (raise your hands if you remember Saans). After starring in two of the year’s most important films, Mulk and Badhaai Ho, Gupta has reclaimed her space as an actor. And that’s why when Gupta didn’t see herself on Rajeev Masand’s actress roundtable for 2018, she took it upon herself to throw some playful shade on the host.
Rajeev meri film bhi toe hit huee hai ya main budhi hun isliye nahin bulaya https://t.co/YcGHSevTwo
— Neena Gupta (@Neenagupta001) December 24, 2018
She responded to Masand’s picture of the actresses participating asking why she wasn’t included even though her film was a bonafide ‘hit’; and whether it was because ‘she was too old’. That’s the sort of burn not even aloe vera can heal. But Rajeev Masand, being a sport, replied to the tweet clarifying that he had made an attempt to reach out to the actor, while she was vacationing in Maldives. Also adding that he already had a bunch of questions for her, and he couldn’t wait to talk to her.
Aap shandaar hain, Neenaji. Aapko bulaya tha, aap Maldives mein chutti mana rahi thi 🙂 Jald milenge aur baat karenge, aapse bahut saare sawaal karne hain. Itni badhiya performance di jo aapne. Main phone karta hoon 🙂
— Rajeev Masand (@RajeevMasand) December 24, 2018
After dropping out of the public eye for a few years, Neena Gupta made headlines when she did something few out-of-work actors do. She asked for work, publicly. Gupta put out an Instagram story, where she asked prospective filmmakers to get in touch with her if they had a part for her. A rare move in an industry that places perception over everything else.
Neena Gupta appeared alongside Rishi Kapoor in Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk, but the film that made this an unforgettable year for the actor was Amit Sharma’s Badhaai Ho. Playing the role of a middle-aged woman who gets pregnant, much to the dismay of her 20-something son, Gupta starred in (arguably) everyone’s favourite love story of 2018. The chemistry between Gupta and Gajraj Rao left many with a warm and fuzzy feeling. And after a year like this, it will become impossible for young and upcoming filmmakers to ignore Neena Gupta.
