New Delhi [India], February 2 (ANI): Veteran actor Neena Gupta, whose career is widely seen as a story of perseverance and resilience, has recalled the circumstances that led her to make a candid social media post seeking work, though she admitted that the actor was initially worried about how her daughter, fashion designer Masaba Gupta, might react to it.

Speaking to ANI in an exclusive interview, Neena Gupta, who is known for her performances in projects such as 'Panchayat', 'Masaba Masaba', 'Uunchai' and 'Woh Chokri', said that during a phase when meaningful roles were drying up, she realised that perception gaps and misinformation had adversely impacted her career.

'I was married to a person from Delhi. Everyone thought I had moved there and stopped working...'dheere dheere mujhe kaam milna band ho gaya'. This perception was spread by the media, and gradually I stopped getting work,' she told ANI.

Recounting the incident that led to her post on Instagram in 2017, asking for work, the ace star recalled, 'Mai kaam ke liye kisi office mein gayi, to ek ladki aa rahi thi usne kaha, 'When did you come to Bombay?' I used to have 11,000 followers on social media zyada nahi..I came home angry, 'ki isliye mujhe kaam nahi mil raha. (This is why I am not getting the work)'... husband pe bhi gussa aa gaya aur aate hi post kar diya..'

However, soon after posting, she began to worry about her daughter's reaction. 'I didn't even know how to delete it. So I thought, 'Masaba to jaan se maar degi mujh ko (Masaba will kill me). 'What rubbish, Mama, you are doing. What rubbish',' however, she was very emotional. Masaba wrote an emotional thing on it. Oh my God. Aur log mere ko milke aankh mein aansoo aa jaate the, 'Ma'am, you are so brave and all that'.

However, she candidly admitted that the viral post did not immediately translate into work opportunities. 'I never got any better work after that. Really, not at all. My career changed only after 'Badhaai Ho'. If that movie hadn't hit, I would have continued doing smaller roles like chhote, bhabhi, mummy, dadi, bua(kind of roles),' she said, referring to the kinds of supporting roles she was often offered before her breakthrough.

Neena Gupta praised the film and her co-actors, calling the experience 'amazing.' She hailed Ayushmann Khurrana, Surekha Sikri, and Gajraj Rao for their performances, 'It was an amazing picture..ek ek dialogue'

Meanwhile, on the work front, the actress will next be seen in the film 'Vadh 2' alongside Sanjay Mishra. The cast also includes Kumud Mishra, Akshay Dogra, Amitt K Singh, Shilpa Shukla, and Yogita Bihani. The film is written and directed by Jaspal Singh Sandhu and produced by Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg's Luv Films. Vadh 2 is set to release in theatres on February 6, 2026. (ANI)