Neena Gupta regrets debut film 'Saath Saath,' blames it for lost opportunities
Neena Gupta, now a celebrated actor, opened up about how her first movie, Saath Saath (1982), actually set her back in Bollywood.
She told Humans of Bombay, "My biggest mistake was doing Saath Saath. That film took away my chance of being seen as a leading heroine."
Instead of lead roles, she ended up getting typecast as the comic character—a role she played in the film.
What happened with 'Saath Saath?'
In Saath Saath, Gupta played a bespectacled comic character while the main story focused on Farooque Shaikh and Deepti Naval's romance.
Hoping for bigger roles after her debut, she instead found herself stuck as comic relief—something she links to low self-esteem and not having much guidance early on.
How did things turn around?
Despite years of being sidelined, Gupta finally got her big break at 59 with Badhaai Ho.
She says accepting responsibility for past choices helped her let go of bitterness and keep moving forward.