3 minutes of readingNew DelhiFebruary 2, 2026 02:45 pm IST
Actress Neena Gupta’s journey to success was not exactly easy. Although she began her career in 1982 at a very young age, it wasn’t until her breakthrough role in the 2018 romantic comedy Badhaai Ho that things really took off for her. Today, Neena is one of the most respected actors in the industry.but getting there was full of challenges and setbacks. The Panchayat actress recently reflected on her early years and opened up about a decision that she believes changed the course of her career.
In an interview with ANI, Neena admitted that doing the 1982 film Saath Saath It turned out to be the “biggest disaster” of his career. In the film, she played the supporting role of a young “know-it-all” girl with glasses. Although the role became popular and loved by moviegoers, the actress feels that it put her in a still frame, leading filmmakers to stop seeing her as a “main heroine.”
The actress shared that when the film did well at the box office, she felt like she had “arrived”, until actor-director Girish Karnad, at the film’s premiere party, told her that she would not be offered lead roles after this film.
“The biggest mistake I made was doing Saath Saath. I played the role of ‘lallu ladki’ (a dumb, know-it-all girl). The film became such a hit that I thought I had arrived. There was a party for the release, and Girish Karnad, who knew me from NSD, approached me. He said, ‘You’re done. You’ll never get a heroine’s role’. And that’s exactly what happened,” she recalls.
Neena also shared advice for young actors, especially girls who aspire to become lead heroines, warning that comic roles early in a career can sometimes limit how the industry perceives them later. “Any girl who wants to become a heroine should avoid comedy films at the beginning of her career. Once you do, people can no longer imagine you as a heroine. I was offered at least eight such roles. Mehmood was very handsome, handsome and a great actor, but did he ever get the role of a hero?” she said.
Meanwhile, the actress will next be seen in the film Vadh 2 opposite 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 will release in theaters on February 6, 2026.