With some memorable roles, acclaimed films like Badhaai Ho and The Last Color, and awards in her kitty, actor Neena Gupta is certainly enjoying enviable second innings. She even posted about it on Instagram.

“I posted on Instagram because I was very frustrated that people used to think I live in Delhi and I don’t work. I think it worked because times are changing,” says the actor in conversation with us, from London.

Going steady

Gupta, who was on a holiday and work trip with her daughter Masaba, missed the release of her latest film, Adi Sonal which is included in a six-part anthology titled Shuruaat Ka Twist. Directed by newcomer Heena D’Souza, she plays the role of Sonal — a mother, grandmother and a mother-in-law. The character makes an unexpected choice for herself and her daughter-in-law, giving the climax a twist.

“I agreed to do the film because of the subject and the sensitivity which it has been handled. The film sends a message that the older generation of women has always been liberated.  When the time comes, they say and do things quietly. They needn’t have to hold a jhanda (flag) and talk about feminism,” explained Gupta.

On the road less travelled

The actor’s recent film roles and public appearances stand testimony to what she has portrayed on screen.

Whether it was playing an expectant mom in Badhaai Ho or portraying the role of a senior citizen who can fall in love, Gupta is breaking stereotypes. The actor says this was her idea all along.

“I think times have changed and Hindi cinema is trying to experiment with a lot of new subjects and ideas that were in the closet. The audience is willing to see these movies and it’s a very good beginning,” she noted. Among her upcoming films are Panga, in which Neena plays Kangana Ranaut’s mother.

The actor says it is a small but important role. Then there is Akshay Kumar-starrer Sooryavanshi, where also she plays the mother’s role. She also has a thriller, Gwalior, with Sanjay Mishra. All these roles, Gupta said, are quite different.

Global spotlight

The actor is currently soaking in the international limelight because of The Last Color that was screened at the recent Cannes Film Festival.

“The Last Color is a film that’s very close to my heart. It deals with a difficult subject — the life of widows. We never think of them because they are not around us. Vikas (Khanna) is a very sensitive filmmaker. It’s his debut but he has made a very important and emotional film.”

The actor had also stepped into a director’s role with the award-winning television series Saans that she also scripted in 1998 on the subject of extra-marital affairs.

“Saans was ahead of its time. It was very realistic. It was a simple story, but not many had attempted to deal with such a realistic subject. It was all about the treatment. The audience could identify with the subject and the characters,” said Gupta, who has shot the pilot of Saans (Part Two).

“It’s a continuation of the story, 18 years later. It is with the same actors, I am looking for a platform to support it,” she said.